SGU: Message In A Bottle
by CelticLady00
Summary: Kinta is forced into the Ancient chair while Colonel Young and his team are imprisoned by a evil King requiring Chloe to negotiate their release.
1. Chapter 1: The Chair

**SGU: Message In A Bottle**

* * *

**Title: **Stargate Universe: - Message In A Bottle

**Author:** Celtic Lady

**Genre: **Action/Adventure, Sci-Fi

**Pairing(s): **None

**Characters: **Stargate Universe general cast plus an other character named Kinta

**Rating: **M (age 16+) adult, sexual situations.

**Summary: **Kinta is forced into the Ancient chair while Colonel Young and his team are imprisoned by a evil King requiring Chloe to negotiate their release.

**Author's Note:** I sometimes will make a music recommendation that can be played while you read a particular section. Just Google the song I recommend and you should be able to find it online to listen to.

Since the first season is only half finished as I write this story, I'll be making some assumptions that I'm sure will be totally different from what the show will have later so this is kind of an alternate universe version. I'm writing these in a particular order so you need to read "SGU: The Adventure Begins" first.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the characters so please don't sue. If the real owners want to use anything from my story (yeah, wishful thinking), go ahead, you can have it for free. :-)

* * *

**Chapter 1: The Chair**

Everyone awoke to a huge explosion from one of Destiny's engines as it rocked the huge ship. A half-dressed Dr. Rush ran to the control room to find the cause as did Colonel Young.

"What just happened?" Young demanded.

Rush was busy looking at the screen for the cause when the realization hit him, "We've lost the engines. They're gone."

Rush and Young just stared at each other with the revelation that they were now hurling through space with no way to control the ship. They could survive for awhile until the power failed or until the ship entered the atmosphere of a planet and disintegrated into small pieces falling to the planet's surface as fireballs, but that time was limited.

"Can we fix them?" Young asked urgently.

Rush lost it as he screamed back, "There's nothing to fix – they exploded into bits and pieces."

Suddenly, Dr. Rush sat up in bed breathing heavily as he realized he was having another nightmare. This was just one of many that he'd been having since they arrived on Destiny. Knowing that he'd never get back to sleep, Rush got dressed and walked down to the Control Center to do more work on breaking the lock-out code for the system.

Later that morning, Colonel Young called all the ships personnel together in the gate room for a meeting to introduce Kinta. As he stood on the stairway, he began to address the crowd.

"As you all know by now, we have a new member of the crew. Her name is Kinta," Young began as he pointed down to Kinta. "And she is an Ancient but not as advanced as the one's that built this ship, so she won't be doing any miracles or anything."

Everyone was surprised by this new bit of news which seemed to offer a glimmer of hope.

"Since she is more mechanically inclined, Kinta is going to be doing repairs on the ship, and will also start working on a way to gate us home. But that will take time." Young then addressed Dr. Rush, "I need you to put together a prioritized list of which systems you'd like her to start with."

Young nodded over to Johansen, "We are also going to be utilizing the Ancient medical scanning device and get a base scan of every one of us. So everyone needs to start setting up a time with Lt. Johansen to get your scan done."

"Any questions?"

Camile Wray spoke up, "Are you sure we can trust her?"

"I checked with Home World Command and they know her there. They believe she can be a big help to us." Young answered confidently.

Wray followed up her question with another one, "Why can't Home World Command follow in her footsteps and send help?"

Young didn't like the prying of Wray's questions as he tried to answer them diplomatically. "That was a one time, one way trip. But Kinta has been working on building a ZPM to supply the power to gate us home so if she needs any help with that, I'll expect everyone to give her your full cooperation."

Wray questioned his decision, "Why not have her work full time on the ZPM instead of repairing the ship at all?"

Several people agreed with Wray that getting them home should be the top priority.

Kinta spoke up in her defense. "Because the ships systems will fail before I can figure out how to build a ZPM. I need to buy us some time."

Wray knew there was more and had visited Earth via the stones, prior to the meeting to find out what it was. She then directed her questions directly to Kinta.

"Why not just build another portable power unit like you used to get here? Or let Home World Command know how you made it so they can build one?"

Everyone looked at Kinta not realizing until then that it was she who built the device that got her there. This angered several people who couldn't understand why she didn't just build another unit so they could all gate safely home.

Kinta's anger began to rise in return as she watched Wray sway the crowd to her way of thinking. It was time to tell the truth.

"Because if I do it your way, everyone will die!" That caught everyone's attention as they quieted down. "I guess Colonel Young forgot to mention that I have visions – I can see the future."

Kinta stood to address everyone as she took several steps up the staircase to stand beside Young. "If I tell Home World Command how to make the device, they send Telford who gets everyone killed and the ship destroyed. And I can't build another one here because, well gee, I guess I just don't have the parts." Her sarcasm was directed at Wray as she continued, "But wait . . ." She paused like an idea was coming into her head. "Wait . . . I know, what if we start fixing up the ship so we can go look for parts here?" She tapped her head with her hand like she had just had a startling revelation. "Of course, certainly the Ancients must have some kind of spare parts laying around here that I can use." Her sarcasm ended as her voice took a more serious tone, "I just have to be able to reach them wherever they are."

Annoyed, Wray turned her attention back to Telford and the HWC. "Home World Command could make two units to gate here and take us home."

"But they won't!" Kinta fired back. "Once Telford gets here, he's not going to relinquish his command just to go back home. No, once he gets here, he's here to stay and all of you will have to suffer the consequences. The last thing on his mind will be getting anyone home."

Kinta wanted to make it very clear what happens if Telford arrives. "Listen. I know it is hard to believe, but my visions have always come true. I can see different paths and know how they wind up. If we take the path with Telford, he gets us involved in a war and the enemy destroys the ship and everyone on board. Telford gets us killed! The other path where we take our time and do things right, gets everyone home safe and sound. That is the path I'm choosing and I won't change my mind so it's not up for discussion."

Young felt the discussion was at a good stopping point as he spoke up to quiet things down. "We're not going anywhere until Kinta locates the parts she needs for a power unit be it a ZPM or a portable unit. And those parts are in the sections of the ship that we can't currently reach." He lowered his voice as he added, "And I do know that she's right about Home World Command. If they build the unit, Telford will come here to assume command. The question is, do you believe her vision?"

Young looked around the group and seeing that there were no further questions, ended the meeting. "The meeting is over. Let's get back to work." Young walked down the steps to speak with any individuals on a more personal level who still had questions.

* * *

Dr. Rush was elated when Kinta gave him the Ancient language but disappointed when she refused to give him the Caelurian language as well. He didn't like that only Kinta and her people could talk in a language that no one else knew allowing them to hold secret conversations. Kinta had her own little army at her beckon call and Rush was sure they'd follow her direction. But he questioned what her direction was.

Because Colonel Young didn't have a whole lot of faith in Dr. Rush, he had decided Kinta should report directly to him. That way, he could develop a connection with her and hopefully gain her trust so she'd reveal more about her own mission and how it involved them. The more he knew, the better. Although he couldn't put his finger on it, something about her intrigued him. He only wished she could give them a time frame of when they'd be going home. One thing he did like though was that with her there, Rush wasn't as important anymore and he had one more scientist on his side now. Her warrior race fit in well with the military and he had already made plans to integrate Calum and his men with the soldiers under his command.

Almost immediately Dr. Rush and Kinta clashed.

"I'm telling you, we need to be able to talk to other ships if we come across any."

Rush was less than happy with her decision. "But we need to crack the control code first so we can control the ship. It does us no good to talk to anyone if we can't stop the ship long enough to have a conversation."

"So crack it, I'm not stopping you." Kinta angrily replied to Rush's outburst. She finally just threw up her hands and left having decided it wasn't worth arguing with him. Instead, she decided to do some more exploring on her own. There should be other consoles she could work from to run diagnostics on the ship's functions and find out what needed to be done first. She stopped by Young's office to give him a progress report.

"Colonel, I got with Rush on his list of priorities and we're definitely not agreeing. He has one item only that he wants me to work on – cracking the lock-out code." Kinta explained calmly. "But I really want to look at the communications system. Communications was my specialty on Aedin and I think it would be easy to fix and would be a nice project to get my feet wet with. Then I want to take a look at the water system."

"I know Rush can be difficult—." Young started before Kinta interrupted him.

"Is that why you left him behind?"

Young was surprised that Kinta knew. "Been reading my mind have you?"

"No, actually not. Rush mentioned it on the planet and I read his mind instead." Kinta smiled satisfactorily. "When I healed him, I couldn't resist taking a look around."

"See anything interesting?" Young inquired curiously – he knew Rush was a real piece of work but had no clue what had made him that way.

Kinta wasn't going to be Young's spy like he asked Eli to be. "I keep what I see private." Kinta coldly replied as she remembered back to when the Queen had her do that very thing – reveal what she saw. It cost two men their lives when Queen Penarddun deemed them too dangerous to remain living. Kinta wasn't going to put herself in that position again.

Young seemed to understand as he steered the conversation back to the issue at hand. "On the lock-out code, unless you can figure it out pretty quickly, I'd say leave it for Rush. The water system is more important – do you see a problem with it?"

"No." Kinta shook her head. "But I heard you transported water on board by hand and I'm pretty sure the Ancients didn't do it that way. More than likely they beamed it up directly plus I want to look over the filtration system – I heard it failed already." Kinta explained further.

Young agreed. They had almost died from an illness caused by the unfiltered water so it definitely ranked high on his list. "Sounds good to me."

Kinta thought their conversation went well as she left his office. Colonel Young seemed to be more logical on what was important for their survival. It was time to find a second console to work from.

* * *

Camile Wray used the stones to return to Earth and check in with her superiors. She wanted to update them on Kinta and Rush's return.

As she walked down the sidewalk to an outdoor pavilion, Wray expressed her concerns to IOA Representative Dale Strom. "I've had no luck in determining how Kinta got there. She says she can build a portable power device to get us home but we have to reclaim part of the ship to find the parts." Wray explained. "But I don't trust her. She said she has visions and that if Telford succeeds in getting there, we all die and the ship is destroyed."

This alarmed Strom. "Then maybe we need to make sure Telford doesn't get there . . . for the time being at least."

Wray didn't like the sound of that – she still believed Telford was their salvation to a quick return home even though their last attempt was anything but successful. "Young says she's an Ancient," Wray asked frustrated, "Have you found out any additional information on her and what makes her tick?"

Camile Wray had personal information on everyone else except Kinta which disturbed her greatly. This information enabled her to know exactly which buttons to push, for Young and Rush, to achieve her goals but Kinta was a wild card thrown into the deck that made everything potentially unknown. She could change everything.

"Not much. She's an Ancient alright but not much of one." Strom tossed Wray the folder for her to read for herself as they sat down at a picnic table.

As Wray read the notation, she commented, "Maybe her learning was restricted by the limitations of the race she was living with – she could be smarter than we think." Her eyes widened as she read one particular bit of information, "She can read minds?" This would make it impossible to keep her agenda hidden.

"We don't know to what degree she can read minds. All we know for sure is that some personnel at Stargate Command thought she was seducing them in their dreams." Strom replied confidently, "It could be nothing more than their own paranoia but I'm sure you can use it against her in the same way if necessary."

Wray smiled. He was right, no one would want Kinta invading their thoughts and dreams. This could be turned around and used as a tool if necessary should she need to turn them against Kinta.

"She also has several men with her that are from her home planet. They look like they have a leader named Calum." As an afterthought, Wray chided, "They look like extras from that Brave heart movie." She looked up at Strom, "Young is integrating them with his soldiers so they seem to be aligning with him."

This troubled Strom. The military had control over everything. Wray had almost gained control until they discovered Rush's deception in Sgt. Spencer's suicide, whereupon, the leadership fell back on Young. IOA, and especially Dale Strom, wanted Wray in charge.

Suddenly, Wray saw something, "Has anyone found her lab?" She pointed to the notation indicating that Kinta had a laboratory where she made her inventions. "This could be where she made the power unit."

"No." Strom shook his head. "She kept that location very secret – no one seems to know where it is."

Although discouraged, Wray wasn't going to give up trying to discover the lab's location. "Keep trying on your end and I'll work on it from my end as well. She's bound to tell someone."

* * *

Kinta had found some metal ribbing, which she used as a ladder to reach the ceiling of the hallways, in order to reach the broadcast speakers that were located there. She had started inspecting each and every one to make sure they were working properly. Once finished, she started repairing the wall consoles as well so people could easily communicate throughout the ship. Because they occupied such a small section of the ship, this didn't take long and she proceeded on to the water system.

Just like she had done on Earth, Kinta began taking the unit apart to see how it worked. What she discovered was amazing. The filter was actually a force field that was configured to allow only water to pass through it. As the impurities accumulated on one side of this force field, it was necessary to periodically flush the filter compartment washing the impurities away so the filter would not become clogged thus forcing the water to seek another route to the storage containers. Unfortunately, the cleaning process had not been done in quite some time and the force field filters looked like they had their own little iris covering them as the dirt and debris had become compressed under pressure and formed a tight cover. Kinta had no choice but to shut the filter down and clean the compartment by hand.

It was tedious work as she scraped the hardened material out of the compartment and into a makeshift bucket. Lt. Johansen walked by and noticed someone was in the water room, so she decided to investigate. She watched as Kinta sawed her way through the big chunks and then scraped the sides for the remainder.

"What are you doing?"

Kinta stopped for a moment to take a break. "I found out why the water isn't getting filtered properly." She pointed to the grayish-black goo which resembled dried paint. "It needs to be cleaned. Right now, I don't think the filter is working at all."

Johansen couldn't believe they were drinking unprocessed water. "No wonder so many people are having intestinal problems. I'm glad someone is taking care of it." She smiled at Kinta – grateful that they would have clean water soon to drink. "I'll leave you to finish."

Kinta resumed her scraping until she had the unit clean. She then set her sights on the UV light which was the system's second line of defense. After cleaning the water and placing it into the storage compartment, the UV light kept the water sterilized until it was used. It looked like a bulb change was in order as she looked around the room for replacements.

Finally finding one, she plugged it in and re-assembled the unit. With a few strokes from the console, she ran the current contents of the storage container through the force field filter and radiated it with the light. Now the water was truly clean.

Not satisfied however, what puzzled Kinta was why the cleaning process wasn't automated. It made sense that the Ancients wouldn't want to be bothered with monthly maintenance of the systems so she began scanning the unit's software for a solution. She marveled at the planning that had gone into creating just this one system for the ship. Finally, she came upon the solution – it had been set to manual and all she had to do was choose automatic. Simple!

Now for the second unit. By the end of the day, Kinta had managed to clean all the units and get them functioning to their full capacity. Now she just had to figure out how the Ancients filled them with water.

* * *

"Okay, thank you for coming. Colonel Young has asked Msgt. Greer and myself to begin training you so you can be integrated in with our military structure of command." Scott announced to Calum and his men.

"Now we have ranks that determine who leads and who follows. I am 1st Lt. Matthew Scott and I report directly to Colonel Young." He then pointed over to Greer, "Msgt. Ronald Greer has a lower rank and therefore follows both mine and Colonel Young's orders."

Greer nodded to the group.

"Because you already have a leader in Calum, we are going to have you follow his orders and he will receive orders from Colonel Young and myself. Any questions?" Scott looked at their blank stares and assumed there were none.

"Okay, well one of the things we do to keep in shape and stay ready should an emergency arise, is to practice fighting techniques. That is what we will be doing today." Msgt. Greer stepped forward to the center of the room while Scott continued. "We are going to begin with hand to hand combat but remember . . . we are only practicing so no real fighting."

Scott gave an example move of grabbing Greer around the neck and throwing him to the floor. "Just like this."

Again the men watched silently.

"So who would like to give it a try?" Scott asked the group.

Aengus smiled as he held up his hand indicating he was willing to give it a try. His friends rooted him on as many slapped him on the back and cheered.

Greer again took his position in the center of the room as Aengus approached him. No sooner than Greer had grabbed him around the neck, however, Aengus picked him up off the ground and slammed him down, stepping back in the process.

Lt. Scott quickly realized it was going to be more difficult than they had originally imagined as he went over to offer Greer a hand up. "Looks like they're already familiar with this move." Greer agreed. "Let's up the ante a little shall we." Scott gave Greer a little wink as Greer smiled back knowing he was just given the green light to do whatever it took to take Aengus down.

"Okay, let's try that again." Scott stepped to the side so Greer and Aengus could engage each other.

This time, Greer was ready and used a different maneuver to avoid the outcome only to find himself again laying on his back on the floor.

Scott looked on astonished. Not being afraid to admit defeat, he had no choice but to ask Aengus to show them the move again so they could learn it themselves. It looked like Scott and Greer would be the students for awhile.

Calum smiled as he looked on, "Let me show you something." He might as well show these two young men what his men could really do. Calum and Gobhan walked to the center while everyone else watched from the sidelines. As they engaged each other in a mock fight, Scott and Greer quickly realized they were quite adept at hand to hand combat, in fact, they seemed to relish it.

* * *

Wray returned from Earth with new determination. She had to convince Kinta to stay focused on the power device. Once they got home then Telford could return with his team and she no longer cared if he blew up the ship or not so long as she wasn't there to see it. Still convinced that Earth could build a device faster, she needed to find Kinta's lab where she was sure the plans could be found. Just one gate address stood between her and Earth.

Spotting Dr. Rush sitting in the Control Center, known to most as the Apple Core, she decided to make good use of the information she had discovered.

"Dr. Rush, I see you're working alone again." Wray shook her head. "You're the only one willing to do what it takes to get us home. I want to thank you for that."

Rush just mumbled as he kept his stare on the screen studying the code that scrolled before him.

"Can't Kinta figure that out faster?"

Just the mention of Kinta's name irritated him, "Apparently not."

Wray noted the resentment in his voice and knew the time was right to enact her little plan. "You know, even though she's an Ancient, she was raised on a medieval planet where I doubt they had any kind of advanced schooling. Most likely, she's just hiding the fact that she was never taught about the technology that her race is capable of."

She paused for a moment to let that bit of information soak in before she gave a puzzled look and questioned, "Isn't the Ancient chair designed just for her type of situation?"

Rush stopped what he was doing and looked up at her. She had his full attention now.

"I mean since she's an Ancient, isn't that what the chair was used for – to give them the knowledge?" Wray quizzed him while already knowing the answer. "I just wonder if they put specific information in there regarding this ship as well." She looked around at all the technology that was built into the ship as she ran her hand along the edge of the console.

Dr. Rush immediately knew what she was thinking about. "Like the lock-out code."

Wray nodded, "Exactly." Having planted that seed of thought, she knew she had to keep control. She needed him ready but to not act on it until the time was right.

"Too bad Young has turned her away from trying the chair though."

"What do you mean?" Rush wasn't sure what she was talking about.

"Didn't you hear?" She glanced down at him. "When she healed Franklin this morning, I heard Young made a comment about the chair being off limits."

Shaking her head in disgust, she explained, "There's no way Kinta is going to try that thing now."

Colonel Young was another thorn in Dr. Rush's side and he could just imagine him doing something like that. "That's stupid! She's an Ancient, the chair won't hurt her at all. Like you said, it's made for her."

Rush ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.

"Are we really sure the chair is working correctly?" Wray asked cautiously. "I mean, did you check it over thoroughly to make sure?"

Rush looked at her, he knew she was up to something. "I could check it again if you like."

"Why don't you." Almost as an afterthought, she added, "And why don't you see if we can use the machine to read the data through her mind? I mean just in case she isn't willing to share what she learned." Wray spoke her thoughts verbally, "I'm just not sure that I trust her to tell us the code even after she learns it."

"Her and Young have quite a few secrets between themselves and I don't know their agenda yet." She walked to the door to leave. "By the way, did Young tell you that Kinta can read minds?"

Rush raised an eyebrow as he shook his head no.

"Well she can so be careful."

Wray continued down the hallway to her quarters with a satisfied smile on her face. Once she was sure the chair was working properly, they'd find a way to force Kinta into it. If nothing else, she'd use the fear of the chair to gain the address of Kinta's lab where the power units were built.

* * *

As the evening drew to a close, Kinta decided to play with the main console. Rush was gone was her primary reason and she had free access to browse and see what she could find. After pulling up the Holographic screen, she began looking through what Dr. Rush had been working on. He was certainly diligent in trying to unlock the systems from the auto pilot they had been set on. Curiosity got the best of her when she found his list of necessities and opened it. Kinta quickly realized it was the list Destiny was using to determine which planets to stop at. She immediately added a few additional items that she felt was needed then closed the file.

Kinta would open a system utility, browse around it's functions and then close it to move on to the next. Once she opened a database on all the planets that had been seeded with Ancient stargates, her intrigue was heightened as she tried to determine where Destiny was in comparison.

Kinta typed the name Nestorius into the search feature and started a search. Within seconds the information was returned.

"Wow." Kinta was impressed at the amount of information available on the planet and the race that lived there. As she read, it was apparent that the database was out of date. Nestorius was listed as the home of a nomadic tribe with no technological advances whereas, she clearly knew they had technology now. Kinta typed in newer data indicating the ruler's name and they type of weapons they currently possessed.

After doing a search of Earth and being unsuccessful, Kinta decided to focus on Caelur instead. She was in luck – Caelur was listed. With the list of Stargates between Nestorius and Caelur, Kinta had another way home. She saved the results for her use later.

* * *

Days later, Kinta had no idea of the danger she was in when she joined many of the other civilians for the evening meal. As she ate hungrily, Quinn spoke fondly of Caelur.

"I can't wait to get back home. Is there nothing you can do Kinta to get us home faster?"

Kinta couldn't help but think of the list she had procured or wonder if the crew had put him up to the questioning since they too had been prodding her to give up the gate address and take them home. "It will happen when it is time Quinn, no sooner," Kinta calmly replied.

"I can't wait to get back and see my wife," Aengus chimed in. The others equally agreed that they missed their loved ones.

Kinta looked up and paused in mid-bite as she realized they were unaware of the fate of Caelur. Slowly dropping her fork back onto her plate, a sadness came over her which was quickly noticed by the group.

"What's wrong Kinta?" Calum asked curiously.

She swallowed hard before answering him. "You don't know what happened on Caelur?"

Calum became more alarmed at her question as did the others when he asked her back, "What happened on Caelur?"

Kinta knew she had to tell them but was also aware she'd be destroying their hopes and dreams of the future in the process. Never had she experienced such a difficult task. Unsure how to proceed, she reluctantly answered Calum. "They're all dead." In a low voice, she explained further. "The Goa'uld killed them all." Kinta watched as the life seemed to drain out of each man.

Suddenly Gobhan stood in a rage of anger. "It's your fault! You had to seek out the Tau'ri and make us part of their war!"

"No . . . No. They would have come anyways. That's what the Goa'uld do – they conquer." Kinta desperately tried to explain, "I was making us weapons to use against the Goa'uld should they come."

Calum interrupted the argument, "Did no one survive Kinta?"

Kinta slowly shook her head no.

"Are you sure? Maybe some escaped and hid in the caves?" Aengus greatly wanted this to be true.

Hesitantly, Kinta placed the image in each of their minds of the field of impaled bodies atop of rows and rows of poles. The rows seemed to go on forever as each man witnessed the horror that Kinta had returned to. Quinn was no longer able to hold back the tears as the others just starred with blank expressions on their faces.

Gobhan lunged at Kinta, "No! You've taken everything from me!"

Calum quickly grabbed Gobhan and pushed him back, "It's not her fault. We have already seen many races stronger than us. We were unaware just how weak we were and it cost us dearly."

The food was no longer appetizing as each man left to deal with his grief. Calum forced Gobhan to walk away as well leaving Kinta alone at the table. She tried to take another bite of food but was overwhelmed as well and tears ran down her cheeks. She remembered that dreadful day as though it were just yesterday.

Kinta finally left as well and retired to her quarters to sleep since she suddenly felt immensely tired. So tired that she could barely undress herself as she sat on the side of the bed. She managed to get her boots off and her pants but the rest had to wait as she fell backwards unaware of anything past that point. She slept heavily and was totally unaware of the strangers who had entered her quarters and now stood before her.

Two men lifted her up and carried her down the hallway to the room where the Ancient chair of knowledge was located.

"Sit her down in the chair." Wray instructed the men who did as they were told.

Brody and Volker immediately began preparing the machine for operation as a low hum could be heard from the electronics. Finally Brody gave the word, "Okay, ready when you are."

Dr. Rush began placing Kinta's head in alignment with the contact heads as the restraints closed around her wrists and ankles.

Kinta awoke to discover she had been restrained in the Ancient chair and was well aware of the damage it had done to Jeremy Franklin – now they planned to use it on her. She screamed in fear as she tried desperately to get free hoping that someone would hear her and come to her aid. Dr. Rush was trying to hold her against the back of the chair so the nodules would align with her head when he saw the fear in her eyes as she thrashed back and forth.

"Rush, don't do this!" She begged. "It won't work on me!"

"Fine, tell me the address of your lab Kinta and we'll stop." Wray demanded.

But Kinta knew she'd be condemning all of them if she gave that bit of information to Camile Wray. She just couldn't do it. "I can't."

Just then, Colonel Young entered the room and was immediately restrained by two civilians while a third held a gun on him. He could see what they were trying to do. "She's retarded – It won't work on her!" He shouted helplessly.

Camile Wray gave the order for the scientists to begin, "Turn it on."

After seeing Kinta's reaction, Rush couldn't go through with it, "No, Wait!" But it was too late as the machine lit up.

Everyone was taken aback as they listened to her gasping for air in between her screams of pain and watched her body tense as though she was being electrocuted. Dr. Rush started for the console to try and stop it when Wray grabbed the gun from the civilian and pointed it at Rush instead.

"I will use this Dr. Rush," she threatened forcefully.

But he ignored her threat and tried frantically to end the session. The frustration clearly showed on his face as he tried in vain only to have the machine eventually stop on it's own. The deed was done.

Kinta's body trembled as the restraints slid away. She seemed totally unresponsive.

Young tore away from the startled civilians and forcefully disarmed Camile Wray who was staring at Kinta fully expecting to see her sit up and recover until the realization hit her that it didn't work.

Wray mumbled to herself, "It should have worked, she's an Ancient."

Young was furious, "Biologically she's an Ancient, not mentally! You just fried her brains!"

He radioed for Lt. Johansen to come to Kinta's aid as Lt. Scott and Msgt. Greer arrived to offer their help as well.

"Put Wray and these civilians in lock down until I can figure out what to do with them," Young ordered Greer who was more than willing to comply. Ronald Greer recalled when Wray had questioned his being released from confinement when the station was under attack. He truly believed that Wray would have preferred he'd been left behind to die. Now it was her turn as he led them away.

Johansen arrived to discover Kinta's body in the chair and knew what had happened by the comatose expression on her face. "Let's get her to the Infirmary."

Rush ran his fingers through his hair and held his head as he looked on and realized the dreadful thing he had just participated in. He kept seeing Kinta's fear ridden eyes pleading with him for help. He fully expected Colonel Young to have him locked away as well but Young's cold stare was punishment enough.

Instead, Young addressed the other two scientists, "Why? You knew what this thing could do."

Dale Volker hesitated to answer as both he and Adam Brody looked away. "Wray said the chair was designed specifically for her since she's an Ancient. She said it was our only way to get back home."

Brody added timidly, "We just wanted to go home."

Kinta's screams still resonated in Colonel Young's head as he stopped by the Infirmary to see how she was doing. Tamara Johansen was doing what she could but it didn't look good.

"It's pretty much the same as when Dr. Franklin was in the chair - catatonic with slight tremors." Only this time, they didn't have Kinta around to heal the victim – she was the victim.

"Keep me posted."

Young hadn't realized until then just how desperate many of the crew were getting to get back to Earth. So much that they'd try anything including sacrificing a life if it would achieve their goal.

* * *

Many days had passed since Kinta was forced into the chair against her will. Calum and his men visited her often to check on her progress which never changed. As they ate their mid-day meal, many talked about their visions they experienced while unconscious and of Kinta.

"I wonder where she travels this time," inquired Aengus to no one in particular.

Quinn answered him. "Remember when she want on her last trip? She came here – perhaps she is seeing her next adventure."

Jeremy Franklin and several others were listening quietly from the next table.

Calum felt his anger rising as he thought of the injustice done to Kinta who he knew only wanted to help these people. She asked for nothing in return. "Perhaps her destiny has changed and we will go somewhere else far away from here." He couldn't help but feel that they should abandon the Tau'ri and leave them to destroy themselves.

A smile came over Logan's face, "Remember when she fought you Calum? I won two knives and a bow. That was some fight." He shook his head at the fond memories.

Calum suddenly addressed the next table where Franklin sat. "What was the chair like?"

Everyone fell quiet. Franklin had refused to talk about the incident and spoke very little afterwards. Each word seemed to be a struggle to emit so he had stopped talking all together. Everyone knew to just leave him be. Franklin sat silent as he stared down at his food ignoring Calum.

But Calum refused to back down – he had to know. "Speak man! What was it like?"

Lt. Scott spoke up in Franklin's defense. "Leave him alone."

"No." Calum's nostrils flared as his anger intensified. "I want to know what she went through."

Franklin's body began to tremble and he could no longer eat as he raised his eyes to meet Calum's gaze. Barely audible, he whispered, "It was horrible." Then the tears began to run down his face. He could no longer hold the emotion back as he sobbed, "It was torture. It felt like my whole body was on fire and it never ended. The pain was so unbearable I just wanted to die but it wouldn't stop . . . the pain wouldn't stop." Sobs overtook him for several minutes before he could continue. "It's a torture device – it has nothing to do with knowledge. It's for torture."

Dr. Rush quickly stood up, he didn't want to hear anymore and planned to make a quick escape back to his quarters to avoid hearing what his actions had done. But Calum blocked his way. If nothing else, he would make sure Rush knew what he had done. "Kinta is a high priestess. The markings on her body indicate she is a skilled warrior – no other woman has ever worn such markings. That is to be respected." He then looked at everyone else in the room as he continued, "She tried to warn us that great danger was coming but we failed to listen and now our people are gone except for us nine. She has warned you of the same thing and I see you ignoring her warnings as well. Mark my word – they will come true. She only wishes to save you. But I fear it is already too late – your fates are sealed."

Disgusted, Calum left the cafeteria and returned to Kinta's side. He feared the Tau'ri had sealed the Caelurian's fate as well.

Many people in the cafeteria were moved by Calum's words and his obvious respect for Kinta. Several inconspicuously wiped tears from their eyes while the soldiers stared at their food. Everyone seemed to lose their appetite as they picked at what was left on their plate.

Suddenly, the ship dropped out of hyper-drive and the soldiers sprang into action as they made their way to the gate room. It was another stop for items on their list. Eli was ready with a Kino to send it through and see what was on the other side. With Young's approval, he sent the Kino on it's way as everyone crowded around him to see what was on the other side.

It looked like a tropical jungle with strange, eerie vines hanging from the trees. With the denseness of the forest, they couldn't determine if there was life there as Eli sent the Kino out as far as he could from the gate to try and see what was there.

Calum stopped him, "Can you get closer to that plant?"

"The one with the weird flower? Sure." He moved the Kino in closer so they could clearly see the striped markings on the leaves.

"That plant exist on Caelur and is used to treat infection." He exclaimed.

Young doubted it was the same plant. "Are you sure? How can a plant from your planet wind up way out here?"

Calum didn't know but he was convinced it was the same plant. "We need to go there and collect samples to bring back. This plant could be very useful."

Galvyn, another one of Calum's men, added, "There may be other plants there which we can use as well." He pointed to himself and the other Caelurians, "All of us are familiar with such plants and can easily find them."

Colonel Young knew such plants could be useful in supplementing their rationed medical supplies and couldn't be ignored. "Okay, let's put together a team and go see what's there."

The team was larger than usual since the forest was dense and difficult to maneuver through. Calum's men would find a plant then direct Young's men to search for others like it and dig them up. Even Young was amazed as he watched Calum rub a leaf between his flattened hands then cup them to smell the scent. If the scent was familiar, the plant was kept, otherwise, they would move on to another one. By the time they left the planet, many plants and various fungi had been collected and returned to the ship to be studied and used. They had even managed to locate a poisonous plant similar to what Kinta used on her poisonous darts.

The plants which Calum was familiar with were used immediately by his men. After picking several leaves and letting them dry, Lt. Johansen observed them crumbling them up and sprinkling the crumbs on their food. "Is that a spice?" She asked curiously, thinking anything would be an improvement on the food.

Trevor smiled sheepishly, "No. It is so we won't become fathers yet."

The look on Johansen's face prompted further explanation which Calum offered. "It makes men infertile for many months so there are no unplanned pregnancies." He showed her his wrist, "When you see a darkened circle on the inside of the wrist, you know it's working."

"A male birth control." We don't have that on Earth – we have female birth control instead." She explained.

Calum smiled. "On our planet, if a man gets a girl pregnant, he must marry her or at least support her with food and firewood. But since girls want to get married, they will try to get pregnant in order to snare the man they want. So it is up to the man to make sure it doesn't happen."

Through the next several days, Calum explained each plant to the Medic and Jeremy Franklin on how to process it for use. For some plants, the leaves were dried and either brewed into a tea or crumbled onto food. With other plants, the medicinal properties lay in the bulb like roots or the milky substance in the stem. In some cases, the leaves were ground up and applied directly to the wound to prevent infection. Johansen and Franklin took notes on each plant and what kind of care they needed. Slowly everyone was learning how to live off the land as Franklin resumed his care of the greenhouse and watched over the plants.

* * *

**Reviews are greatly appreciated.**


	2. Chapter 2: Make Them Sweat

**SGU: Message In A Bottle**

* * *

**Title: **SGU: - Message In A Bottle

**Author:** Celtic Lady

**Rating: **M (age 16+) adult, sexual situations.

**Summary: **Colonel Young and his team are imprisoned by a evil King requiring Chloe to negotiate their release.

**Author's Note:** I sometimes will make a music recommendation that can be played while you read a particular section. Just Google the song I recommend and you should be able to find it online to listen to.

Since the first season is only half finished as I write this story, I'll be making some assumptions that I'm sure will be totally different from what the show will have later so this is kind of an alternate universe version. I'm writing these in a particular order so you need to read "SGU: The Adventure Begins" first.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the characters so please don't sue. If the real owners want to use anything from my story (yeah, wishful thinking), go ahead, you can have it for free. :-)

* * *

**Chapter 2: Make Them Sweat**

Destiny seemed to be making more frequent stops at planets and the crew was becoming more accustomed to doing off world exploring. Besides the one planet of Nestorius, they found no other intelligent life . . . so far.

When Destiny stopped again the planet seemed harmless enough as everyone looked around until three dinosaurs chased some civilians back to the gate where Lt. Scott and his men open fire and killed them.

"Woohoo! We're having steak tonight!" Greer shouted excitedly as they gutted the animals and prepared them for transport back to the ship.

After Colonel Young sent the meat back, they continued to search for items needed on the ship. "Stay alert!" He warned now that they knew there were dangers. They now traveled in a group rather than spread out which greatly restricted their search.

Rush looked around but couldn't find any reason for them to be there. "I think there's nothing here, let's just go."

Young checked with Calum before making his decision, a move which did not go unnoticed by Rush. "Okay, let's get out of here."

As the men were returning to the gate, they were ambushed by several beings and taken prisoner. Frustrated that they had been captured again, Calum voiced his displeasure. "I believe your weapons are too loud and announce our presence too willingly to our enemies. You should consider using one of Kinta's weapons instead."

Young was equally frustrated at the turn of events as they were all marched through the woods until they finally reached a village set in among the trees. Again, a huge palace loomed before them causing Young to cringe at the similarities as he feared the worst. They were led inside to a small room where they were held until the leader could deal with them.

Everyone awoke to find themselves on the floor and wondered how they got there. Young looked around, "Is everyone alright?" He checked to make sure each person was accounted for and that no one was missing. Each person was puzzled as to what had just happened as they stood up and looked around. Suddenly, the door opened and a guard led them to a reception area where the King was seated.

"Greetings my friends! I am King Ramadus. Welcome to Armadas!" The lanky being announced exuberantly to the crowd.

Young didn't know what to think as he gave a casual hello.

"I must apologize for your captivity but it was necessary for us to scan your minds and learn your language." The King explained. He pointed his metallic index finger at them like an adult making a point to a child. "It also enables us to determine if you are an enemy." Ramadus motioned for his men to return their weapons as he finished his sentence, "Which we realized you are not."

"Thank you." With their weapons back in their hands, Young felt he could relax just a little. "What is this place?"

"My home." He stood and led them to a table full of food. "Please eat and visit with me." He motioned to the feast that had been set out for their benefit.

Colonel Young wasn't sure if the King was more machine or biological as he looked him over surreptitiously. Ramadus' arms and legs were mechanical and resembled the Terminator once his skin had been removed to reveal the metal skeleton and circuitry below. Ramadus' mechanical legs made him taller than all of Young's men as he towered above them and everyone else in the room.

"We only have a little while until we have to return to our ship." Young explained cautiously.

"Then join me until you must leave." The King took a bite of food to prove to them it was safe.

"Thank you." Young took a seat followed by everyone else and they helped themselves to the meal. It as delicious and everyone ate hungrily, including the King. The Colonel and the King conversed back and forth about why the Destiny crew was there and what they were looking for.

King Ramadus offered a suggestion, "Perhaps it is for Tiha that you seek. Many others have come here in search for it as well."

This intrigued Dr. Rush who inquired, "What is Tiha?"

Ramadus smiled greatly as he explained. "It is a mineral found here that has very strong magnetic properties. I'm afraid I don't know how it is used, but it is highly sought after."

"Perhaps we could get a sample from you." Rush answered.

Ramadus was quick to answer, "You will find that bartering is how we do business here. Do you have anything to trade?"

Everyone nodded no. What few possessions they had, everyone wanted to keep.

Suddenly, Ramadus sprang up from his chair. "Wait, you are a scientist, yes?" The smile returned to his face. "Perhaps you could repair a piece of our technology for us? We would gladly pay you in Tiha."

Since everyone was full from the large meal, the King led them to a control room where a console sat in the middle of the floor. He showed Rush the controls and how it as suppose to communicate with other ships and nearby planets. "It has stopped working and we miss the opportunity to converse with others. Can you fix it?"

Dr. Rush took the front panel off while Volker and Brody joined him to look over the object. After several minutes of tinkering, Young informed them, "You guys need to hurry up. We're running out of time."

Rush slowly responded, as he plugged a circuit board back into it's slot. "Almost finished." He pressed a button on top and the console lit up.

"Excellent!" Ramadus' appreciation was evident.

Volker, who was familiar with Destiny's communications, hailed their ship. After a few seconds, a voice could be heard back.

"Ah, hello who is this?" Franklin asked timidly.

Volker explained what they were doing and that they would be returning shortly.

"Well, ah, you might want to hurry up. We found something fantastic on the ship." The connection crackled as Volker responded, "We're on our way."

Ramadus motioned for his men to bring two wooden crates filled with the mineral he had promised. "I am very grateful that communications have been restored. Thank you and happy travels."

The men returned to Destiny to find that a new section of the ship had been explored while they were gone and a second control room found. This excited Dr. Rush even more as he began looking over the new device. "This is fantastic!" He immediately tried to restore power after discovering it wouldn't turn on. Once he removed the cover panel, Rush discovered that this console was completely different from the other one on the ship. "We might be able to crack this one easier than the other one and gain control of the ship." Everyone was elated to hear the good news.

Rush didn't even notice Colonel Young and the rest of the crew leave as he and the scientists started working on the new device. Before long, Rush's excitement rose as he realized this console was their key to unlocking everything on the ship. This only drove him harder to fix it.

Meanwhile, Colonel Young and the rest of the away team woke up in a caged cell only to realize they had never left the planet. Rush, Volker, Brody and Eli were all strapped to gurneys with wires attached to their heads. Everyone could see a large screen showing the four men working on a console on Destiny that looked exactly like the one in the middle of the room they were being held in. As he watched silently, Young could see where Ramadus' scientists were mimicking what Rush and his team were doing. That was when he realized they were tricking the scientists into helping them fix their own equipment.

Calum walked up behind Young and placed his hand on Young's shoulder as he reiterated a comment he had made earlier, "I'm getting tired of being taken prisoner. The next time you need something killed, we'll do it . . . quietly."

Although Calum's statement irked him a little, he knew there was some truth in it. "We'll talk about that after we get out of here." But for the time being, all they could do was sit back and watch the screen.

After a lot of frustration, Rush realized it was going to be more difficult than he expected. Eli nonchalantly commented, "If Kinta was here she could probably fly right through that."

Angered, Rush shot back, "Well she's not here is she."

"And who's fault is that?" Eli dryly asked as he kept his eyes fixed on the computer.

Ramadus approached Young, "Who is this Kinta?"

Colonel Young quickly realized that Ramadus' over-the-top joyous attitude was gone and replaced by a more demanding, arrogant one which he got a taste of when he refused to answer. "Tephor, pull him out and make him answer." Tephor was the King's right hand man and the head of the King's army. He had Young forcefully removed from the cell and held as two soldiers took turns punching him.

Finally the King motioned with his hands for Young to be returned to the cage. He had another plan as he made contact with Destiny. "I am King Ramadus. I'm holding your men hostage," he announced to Lt. Johansen. "I will release them once you send me Kinta."

Johansen wasn't about to trade the helpless Kinta for anyone. "And why would I want to do that?"

"Because I would hate to begin killing your men," he declared.

Chloe and several other civilians watched from the sidelines as the exchange of words went on. Johansen was firm in her answer. "No."

Chloe feared the King meant what he said as she walked over beside Johansen and whispered into her ear. "We can't save Kinta but we might be able to save one of them."

Johansen didn't like having her decision questioned and the stare she gave Chloe expressed those feelings quite well.

But Chloe wouldn't be deterred. "What she means is, Kinta is sick and is useless to you." She calmly explained although she knew Johansen would have some choice words for her later.

Ramadus was persistent. "We have technology to heal her."

"And once you heal her, what are your plans for her then?" Chloe questioned sternly.

"I only need her help to repair something," he stated. "Then she will be returned to you."

Chloe knew that was unlikely but like her father always told her, nothing ventured – nothing gained. Besides, she felt it was important to keep communications open if for nothing else to buy time for the team to possibly escape. "We would like some time to discuss this among ourselves."

"Fine. But I know that in three hours, your ship will leave orbit. If we have not come to a decision by then, these men will be lost to you forever." Ramadus had collected quite a bit of information from the away team's minds and knew how they had a pre-set time to visit each destination before the ship returned to hyper-drive. This was a weakness he felt compelled to act upon as the screen went blank.

Johansen immediately turned to face Chloe Armstrong as she made her anger known. "Don't ever do that again!"

But Chloe knew diplomacy was better than both sides butting their heads together. "No!" She straightened her shoulders as she prepared to debate her case. "We just bought the men three hours before they get killed. Your way bought them no time." Chloe shook her index finger at the Lieutenant. "Never give them a definitive answer when doing any king of negations! Never!"

The Lt. was taken aback by Chloe's determination in the matter. Before she could comment further, Chloe continued to explain the process. "What we have to determine now is will Kinta ever be useful to us and if not then do we use her worth to get someone who will?" She knew the words sounded harsh and quickly softened her tone. "Will Kinta ever recover? Because if she won't, this might be the only way to save her. Think about that for a minute." Chloe paused to take a deep breath to let Johansen think about what she was saying before continuing. "It may be that they can't heal her, but we already know that none of those men are coming back so ask yourself this question, do we use her to get one of the soldiers back or one of the scientists? Because I don't think we'll make it without one of Kinta's people to help us survive or a scientist to figure out how to get us home."

Johansen knew full well that Kinta's current state wasn't much of a life and with the neurological damage wasn't expected to improve. Chloe had made a valid point – this might be the only way to save Kinta. "So who do we ask for?"

"To start with we decide the minimal we will accept – I think one scientist and one Caelurian. Then we double it so there is room to barter," Chloe offered. "Who knows, we might even get our full request."

The Lt. wasn't totally convinced that these were the right people. "What about the Colonel?"

"Higher ranking people hold more worth – if we ask for Young then we might have to give up the others." Chloe could tell that Johansen was undecided. "Why don't we ask Ramadus what he's willing to offer?"

That seemed reasonable as Johansen hailed the planet and turned negotiations over to Chloe. She immediately noticed the confidence and resolve in Chloe's voice as she spoke. "King Ramadus, before we begin negotiations, I would like to know what you are offering."

The King was pleased to hear that there was some interest on Destiny's part. "Excellent!" Chloe had no idea that the King's exuberant behavior was a ruse to hide the harsh demeanor which was his true nature. But it didn't really matter – only the numbers mattered now. "I will release two of your soldiers for Kinta."

Chloe chuckled, "Your highness, we both know that Kinta is worth much more than that. I had thought you were serious about negotiating but I guess I was wrong." Her tone turned serious towards the end of her comment as she raised her hand to motion to end transmission when Ramadus fired back, "Wait!" He exhibited a nervous smile as he made a suggestion, "Perhaps I should listen to what you would like instead."

Johansen passed Chloe a sheet of paper with all the names on the away team which she quickly looked over. "I understand that there will be some key people who you will want to retain but know this – Kinta is very valuable and the price will be high." Chloe looked over at Johansen before continuing, "We will allow you to keep Colonel Young and Dr. Rush but we want everyone else back."

Although the Lt. was startled by Chloe's demand which was much more than they originally talked about, she never showed it. She kept her stance firm with her eyes fixed on the screen. Ramadus' expression, however, was quite revealing as a hint of surprise showed in his eyes. "So now it is you who are not serious."

Chloe looked at her watch. Two and one-half hours left, "Time is ticking away your highness."

Ramadus knew the time restriction would force him to give up more than he wanted. He had expected to use that to his advantage but it seemed to be his undoing instead. He was so close to achieving his goal but he had to re-think his position. He immediately ended the transmission.

Johansen was startled by his move. "What happened?"

Chloe smiled, "He sweated." Realizing Johansen wouldn't know what she meant, Chloe clarified her answer. "My dad told me once that if you make them sweat, you know you've got the upper hand."

This was good news to everyone and a big relief to Johansen.

Moments later the ship was hailed again. Ramadus had Colonel Young with him when he appeared on the screen. "I have decided to change negotiations." He placed a gun to Colonel Young's head. "Give me Kinta or I will kill him right now." His friendly demeanor was clearly gone.

"Kill him and I promise you will never get Kinta!" Now it was Chloe's anger that was showing as she ended the transmission.

Colonel Young wasn't sure what was going on but it clearly involved Kinta. Ramadus threw him across the room in a fit of rage. "Get them back!" He demanded angrily of his men.

With the connection reestablished, Chloe immediately demanded to see Colonel Young to verify he was still alive. Ramadus dragged him into view as proof but it was evident he had been mistreated. "I will give you half the men but I keep Young and Rush," he demanded, "Plus all the scientists!"

Now they were negotiating. With a forced calmness, Chloe stated her demands. "We want the following people returned to us: Calum, Lt. Scott, Msgt. Greer, Trevor, Aengus, Lt. James, Eli Wallace, Gobhan, Kenan, Logan, Quinn, Ty, Galvyn, and Sgt. Riley. You will keep Colonel Young, Dr. Rush, Dr. Volker and Dr. Brody." Chloe knew full well that Brody didn't have a PhD but figured the title of Dr. would make him sound more important. "We will also send you Kinta to be healed."

Young then realized the importance of what was going on. Chloe was working to get most of the men freed and although Kinta was the pawn, if Ramadus could heal her, it would most likely be worthwhile. He gave a satisfied smile as he nodded slightly to Chloe to show his approval.

Ramadus' eyes were burning with anger but he kept his emotions in check. "That is too many." He ordered the prisoners to be brought to him so he could see the faces the names went with. "Sort out the one's she has named," he ordered Young who complied.

"Eli is one of those on the gurneys." Young added.

Ramadus looked at the men and pulled Calum and Greer over to Young's side of the room. As an afterthought, he added Gobhan and Logan. "I will give you them." He pointed to the men that were left.

"We need at least one scientist," Chloe stressed. "We want the youngest one – Eli."

"Very well. I shall include the one named Eli. Send Kinta through and I shall send these back, I swear." Ramadus said calmly.

Chloe knew that wasn't going to work. "You've already threatened to kill them. I'm afraid I have little faith that you will keep your word. Send them back first."

"No! You will keep them and not send Kinta."

"Your highness, we know that you are Kinta's only hope to be healed – we will send her through. But you don't get her for free." Chloe knew time was running out. "If we don't send her through, then kill all of them." She pointed to Young's group.

These were harsh words and Ramadus knew they carried weight. He pulled Lt. Scott over to Young's side. "Agreed."

It was done. The gate became active about 20 minutes later and Chloe and Lt. Johansen watched as each person walked through. Lt. James was first followed by Eli, Trevor, Aengus, Keenan, Quinn, Ty, Galvin and finally St. Riley. As soon as the gate shut down, Johansen ordered them to dial the planet back and Kinta's lifeless body was passed through. No words were spoken between those who arrived and the crew. Everyone was well aware of the price that had been paid and that those who were left behind would most likely be enslaved or even worst, killed when their usefulness was over.

* * *

After being healed, Kinta was much harder to control under their mind control then the others and seemed to argue with Dr. Rush a lot which disrupted everyone. The scientists worked frantically as they tried to gain control of Kinta's actions. Meanwhile, Colonel Young was watching himself on the screen as Kinta seemed to have brought him back into the equation without his being hooked up to the mind control machine.

In the make-believe world, Kinta refused to speak to Rush although it would have made things easier. She was still angry over being placed in the chair against her will. Although her initial wounds seemed to heal satisfactorily, she wasn't completely back to her original self.

Young watched quietly as Kinta entered the main control room on Destiny. She walked up to Rush's console and without asking permission, touched a spot on the top of the console and as though it was stuck to her finger, pulled an image vertically up then used both hands to fling the image horizontally to it's full size.

She looked over the schematics that appeared and scrolled through several screens until she found what she was looking for. She made a box using the first finger and thumb of both hands and fixed it over the area she wanted enlarged, then pulled caddy cornered away causing the image to zoom in. Everything seemed to be working as she had hoped. She then opened the palm of both hands and squished the zoom area back to it's original size then selected the area by touching it with her forefinger.

A control screen appeared where she initialized a diagnostics program and set it up to run.

Rush watched in amazement not realizing that any of this could be done in the way she was doing it since he had missed her first demonstration. Seeing what she was setting up, he protested, "That will take forever and I'm not done with my work yet."

Kinta looked over to Young and telepathically engaged in a conversation, ignoring Rush's protests. "Tell Rush tough shit, I need to run the diagnostics on the power regulator. If I don't have it right, and I believe I don't, it will explode and we'll be in worst shape than ever."

Young explained the situation to Rush, "She's running a diagnostics on the power regulator so it won't explode." He conveniently left out Kinta's feelings in the matter.

Angry that he wasn't informed first, Rush tried to cancel the diagnostics on the screen but his hand went right through it and did not recognize his touch at all. This infuriated him even more since he didn't know how to get to that screen via the hardware method. He had only been able to pull up standard controls for manipulating functions on the ship.

"How did you do that?" He asked Kinta hoping that he'd be able to cancel the function later after she left.

Kinta pointed to the small spot on the top of the console. She saw another one on a different console and pointed at it as well to show him that these were touch points where the holographic screens could be initiated. She then showed him her forefinger and touched the point and simply raised her hand upwards revealing a single stream of light. Then just like one would open up a rolled up drawing, she pushed her hands to the side and the screen expanded to it's full size.

"No, I mean how can 'I' do that? It doesn't recognize my touch." Rush interjected.

Kinta again turned to Young to explain for her, "Tell him he must not have the Ancient gene for it to recognize him. Too bad." Although she really wasn't sorry about it.

Young then told Rush what she had said which made him angry again. "We can't have functions running that only she has control over. What if something goes wrong and we need to shut it down?"

Rush turned to Kinta, " Are you going to stand here all day until it finishes?"

Kinta smiled and nodded her head no whereupon she turned and left.

Rush just shook his head in disdain. This wasn't going to work – he needed to regain control of the main control room so he could supply power to the secondary control console and test the equipment as they worked on it. Everything depended on them fixing the secondary control console.

Young smiled as he followed Kinta down the hallway. "I think you actually succeeded in pissing him off."

Kinta was well aware of it and nodded in acknowledgement.

"So can you really not talk yet or is this just for Rush's benefit?" Young asked.

"No, I still can't talk and was going to visit the doctor to see why. I've not been feeling very well and want her to check me out." Kinta proceeded down the hallway to the Infirmary while Young accompanied her.

After telepathically telling the doctor of her problem, Johansen motioned her over to the scanner.

Besides imaging Kinta's body, the scan also detected different antigens in her blood and was able to indicate a virus was the cause for her discomfort.

"I'd like for you to rest and see if your body can heal itself before I try giving you something. We're in short supply and I have to ration wherever I can." Johansen explained as Young looked on silently at all that had occurred.

Kinta nodded her head and left for her quarters.

* * *

Rush was infuriated that he was now locked out of the console and couldn't do his work. Finally, he couldn't take it anymore and left in search of Kinta. Finding Colonel Young returning to his office, Rush asked him impatiently, "Where is she? Where's Kinta? I'm locked out and she needs to fix it!"

"Relax and-." Young began to say before Rush interrupted him.

"No! I will not relax, I have work to do!" He jabbed his finger angrily towards Young to indicate just how angry he was.

This only proceeded to anger Young in return who's voice took a more tougher tone. "Leave her alone, she's not feeling well after what you guys did to her. The doctor ordered her to get some bed rest." As an afterthought, he added, "And don't get any ideas about disturbing her or I'll have you thrown in the Brigg." He knew full well they didn't have a Brigg but would consider creating one if Rush got too much out of line.

Young kept walking – the conversation was ended as far as he was concerned. He was amazed at how quickly Kinta could anger Rush. He thought only he had that ability - it made him smile.

But Rush couldn't let it go. He walked urgently down the hallway to Kinta's quarters and banged on the door.

Moments later, she answered it. She didn't like the idea that it was Rush standing there and clearly showed her displeasure. She pointed to a button on the wall outside her quarters and pressed it. Inside a bell could be heard indicating a visitor was at the door. Rush got the idea, she was showing him how to use the door bell.

"I don't care about your stupid door bell. I'm locked out of the system and I have work to do. You need to fix it! Now!" He was livid.

Seeing the effect she had on Rush, Kinta felt quite satisfied with herself. After all, he did instigate having her put in the chair against her will which caused her great pain.

[**Music Recommendation:** Snuff by Slipknot]

King Ramadus, witnessing the fight, finally suggested to his scientists that they should implant a memory of Rush and Kinta being lovers to settle them down and perhaps persuade them to work together instead of against each other.

The Armadasian scientists quickly obeyed and began doing as he asked while the rest of the team watched the memory play out before them on the screen.

The angry Dr. Rush entered Kinta's quarters and suddenly began kissing Kinta's neck passionately as he held her tightly against him. His entire demeanor quickly changed from anger to desire. She in turn, began pulling his shirt from his trousers so it could be easily removed. Their clothing dropped from them piece by piece as they made their way into the bedroom of Kinta's quarters while never stopping their embrace except only to allow Rush to pull the shirt over his head. As they fell onto the bed, Kinta laughed happily as she moved over to allow him room to join her. Both explored the other's body and their lovemaking was slow as they took their time. It was clear that Dr. Rush did not live up to his name as they patiently spoke in between kisses of their love for each other. There was no 'rush' their lovemaking.

"Just don't ever leave me like my first wife did." Rush whispered as he leaned in for yet another kiss.

Kinta could tell it was painful for him to speak of her. "What happened?"

"Cancer." He let his head rest on Kinta's chest as he continued. "The chemotherapy was working and she was beating it but she just gave up." He paused as he thought back to his dreadful discovery.

"She called me at work to come home. I said okay. It always took me awhile to shut everything down and I guess I really didn't hurry." A tear ran down his cheek and fell onto Kinta's breast. "About an hour later, I got there and she had the car running in the garage. She killed herself." Rush could no longer control the sobs that immediately followed as he confessed, "If I had come home right away, I could have saved her!"

Kinta held him tightly as she brushed her fingers through his hair comforting her.

"If I had known, I would have quit the Icarus project to be with her." Rush needed Kinta now more than ever.

"Your destiny is here. I saw it." Kinta explained as she cradled him in her arms. "Any other path leaves you defeated and lost. Perhaps she saw this as well and had to give you your freedom and this was the only way she knew how."

"But I needed her. She was my rock . . . my safe haven among all the craziness. No matter what happened, I had her." Rush found it difficult to explain as he choked out the words.

"I'll never leave you." She reassured him. "I'm with you forever."

Rush smiled. He believed her. Finally, he had found another rock to stand on.

The Armadasian scientists were quite satisfied that they had managed to return Kinta's voice to her. At least they were making some progress.

Rush and Kinta would take turns teasing the other with a seductive touch or a sensuous kiss in an erogenous spot. They were clearly comfortable with each other's body and put on no pretense as they enjoyed their time together. Absent was Rush's preoccupation with the ship's controls which allowed his true character to show through. Everyone was surprised to see a much more pleasant Rush. The two seemed clearly in love as each helped the other enjoy their encounter to a climatic finish.

As they lay on the bed afterward, Rush casually asked of her, "I could really use your help on the controls. I don't want to get another headache." Rush lightly caressed her shoulder. Her head was nestled comfortable against his neck as her arm draped across his chest. She didn't want him to get another headache either.

Ramadus' scientists were flitting about and speaking rapidly among themselves while trying to control Kinta's actions and keep her focused on the console with little luck. She seemed to be impervious to their suggestions and kept focusing on other items found on Destiny.

"I'm in the middle of dismantling a power unit. I can't leave it inoperable. But I can hurry and put it back together then come help." She lightly kissed his chest as he continued to caress down her arm bringing goose bumps.

"Okay." Rush was satisfied that she would help and both rested quietly as neither one wanted to move. The minutes ticked away and both fell asleep in each other's arms.

It was not unusual for Kinta to have a vision after such an intimate encounter so she was not alarmed as one came to her now. Ramadus' scientists were trying desperately to wake the two and have them continue work on the console but it was clear to everyone that they were having trouble controlling the lovebirds as one Armadasian scientist kicked the machine in frustration.

Although the Destiny crew were trying to be polite and not watch, their curiosity at seeing such a different side of Rush kept pulling them back.

Msgt. Greer was the first to comment, "I didn't even know he had a wife." This brought acknowledgements from the others who had dealings with him as well.

Then a spark of life showed as Kinta moved her leg and gave a sleepy groan. Finally, she sat up and starred at Rush while not saying a word. One would think she was just admiring the view of his naked body when she suddenly awoke him and silently placed her hand on the side of his face and starred into his deep brown eyes.

Rush was shocked as the images poured into his mind. He knew he was laying in Kinta's bed making love to her yet her images showed something much different.

They were back on the planet that Rush and the team had visited. It was an optical illusion – they had never left. The object that they were working so hard to fix on the Destiny was sitting in the palace of the evil dictator, Ramadus, and they were unknowingly helping him fix it. It was never on the Destiny to begin with.

He had Kinta and the other Destiny scientists hooked up to a mind reading machine and had implanted the idea that this device was their salvation to get back home giving them a great incentive to fix it as soon as possible. Rush suddenly realized their love wasn't real either as it began to feel more like a dream.

They both watched, as though they were standing off to the sidelines, as everything played out before them. Young and the remainder of the crew were being held in locked cells to the side watching helplessly as the dictator's scientists implemented every repair the scientists of the Destiny made. They had tried several times to disrupt the concentration of Rush and the others unsuccessfully and were struck several times to quiet them. Their bruised faces were evidence of their efforts.

Then the images fast forwarded and the project was finished. Ramadus fired up the contraption and they soon discovered that the palace was actually a spaceship with the console they were working on being the central control for the ship. After reaching orbit around the planet, Ramadus gleefully fired a weapon toward the planet and it was completely obliterated. "Yes, everything works fine just as I imagined it would." He was quite pleased with himself and his actions only illustrated the great grandeur he had in mind for his reign over that part of the universe. The scientists were kept as slaves while the rest of the crew were executed before them.

"What is happening, Kinta? I don't understand." Rush asked meekly.

Kinta swallowed hard before answering him, "This is a vision I'm having. It tells me of the future and apparently of the present as well." Her stomach felt ill as she looked on at the fallen soldiers and innocent Caelurians that laid at her feet now dead.

"I'm guessing that they can't see my vision so we have an opportunity to buy some time. We need to change this." She replied to Rush telepathically. Kinta had no idea what was really going on and had to scan Rush's brain for answers. She was surprised to discover that they were being held prisoner on yet another planet that the Destiny crew had visited.

"You mean they're still alive?" Rush pointed to the crew.

"Yes. This hasn't happened yet." Kinta then had an idea. "Ramadus seems pretty full of himself, maybe we can use that against him."

Rush blinked several times as he came out of the meditative state he was in to find himself sitting naked before Kinta on her bed. He immediately covered himself as she touched a finger to his mouth to quiet him from speaking.

Closing her eyes, Kinta concentrated on waking everyone up. She had to make Ramadus believe that the mind reading machines would be useless against them and force him to use another method.

Colonel Young could tell something was up by the way Kinta and Rush were acting on the screen. They were just sitting there not saying a word. "C'mon, c'mon, figure it out," he whispered under his breath which caught Calum's attention as well. He walked up beside Young and turned his attention to the screen as well.

Ramadus' scientists were preoccupied trying to draw them back to the control room through the mind altering machine so they could watch as the repairs were made and didn't see the twitch that started occurring in Kinta's arm as she lay strapped to the gurney. The twitch turned into a tug which eventually worked the ropes loose enough for her to free her arms. Kinta sat up suddenly and opened her eyes, revealing that she was fully awake. She moved quickly to engage the scientists before they could scream for help, knocking both of them unconscious with a hap-hazard blow as she stumbled across the floor.

Then she worked the controls of the mind reading machine in an effort to wake the Destiny scientists but had little luck as she blinked several times to clear her head in an effort to understand the machine. Finally, Kinta released Colonel Young and the rest of the crew from the cells they were being held in and returned her efforts to the scientists. Unsuccessful, she had no other choice but to pull the wires loose from their heads and awaken them suddenly to the harsh truth.

Dr. Volker blinked his eyes as he looked around the room. "Where are we?"

Kinta started to answer him when Rush beat her to it. "We're still on the planet – we never left." He gave a glance over to Kinta.

Colonel Young immediately sent Scott and Greer out to scout the area for their escape. Upon their return, they informed him of what they found.

"The front hallway is heavily guarded. We can't get out that way," Greer offered.

Scott then gave his assessment. "I found a smaller stairway that leads down to a garden entrance. I think we can get out through there."

Young motioned everyone in close, "Single file, no talking. Let's get out of here."

They began the descent down the narrow stairway as Greer took the point and lead the first few to a secluded area of the garden. Calum and his remaining men followed and stayed in strategic places in between to hurry the people along. They were almost finished when one of the guards noticed what was happening and sounded the alarm. Although the soldiers and Calum's warriors fought well, they were no match for the armed guards and were recaptured.

Ramadus was furious that two of his scientists were injured and could no longer work on the console. Colonel Young and his men were herded back to the reception room where Ramadus was waiting. "It is unfortunate that you tried to escape but you have also injured my scientists which I will not tolerate."

He made a hand gesture to the guards who then immediately pulled Young and Calum from the group and forced them to their knees before the King. "I hereby condemn you to death."

Although the remaining crew verbalized their complaints, Kinta knew she had to act fast to save them. "Dear King." She took a few steps forward to separate herself from the rest when the guards stopped her. "I would be so very disappointed to lose my two friends."

Ramadus motioned the guards back and Kinta slowly strolled forward until she stood between Young and Calum. She seductively stroked her fingers through their hair in a playful fashion as she pulled their heads closer to her hips. "Surely, there is something I can do to change your mind," she said coyly as she smiled at the King.

Unbeknost to the King, Kinta was actually conversing with the two men. "Let me try something that might save your lives. Just play along with whatever I say or do." She caressed her hands down the men's chest as far as her arms could stretch and let out a deep sigh.

Dr. Rush had a good idea what Kinta was up to as he watched her stroke the two men in a suggestive manner. He was sure it was for the King's benefit as he offered a solution to the King's problem. "We can work on the console ourselves under your watchful eye."

Kinta's seductive exhibition caught Ramadus' attention as he leaned back on his throne and watched. "Perhaps I was too hasty," he began as he smiled back at Kinta. "But another attempt like this and I won't hesitate to take their lives."

Kinta understood fully as she helped the two men up and then wrapped her arms around their waists holding them close to her. "What would you like me to do, dear King?" The coy grin returned as she looked directly at the King.

"Guards. Take the scientists back to the console and cage the others." He stood and approached Kinta. "We shall be there shortly." He held out his arm for Kinta to grasp.

* * *

After doing a preliminary check for injuries, Johansen questioned Lt. James as Eli stood nearby. "What happened and why does this guy want Kinta?"

"We were ambushed while returning to the gate," she began. "This King was all nice and everything and even apologized for the ambush. He said he was just being careful." James thought back to the events that occurred after they entered the compound. "He had a meal prepared and all of us ate including him. But he must have drugged us because I woke up in a cage and the scientists were all hooked up to this machine with wires attached to their heads."

Eli joined in, "I didn't realize we were ever drugged. I remember the King asking us to help fix his communications system in exchange for a mineral called Tiha. Then we called the ship and Franklin told us there was a new discovery up here and that we needed to hurry back. The next thing I know, we're all working on the new console that was found."

James confirmed Eli's story and added, "That's when you said that Kinta could do the repairs much faster and the next thing I know we're involved in a hostage exchange."

"Okay." Johansen turned her attention to Eli, "Eli, what kind of machine was this console."

"It seemed to be a control console like we have here on Destiny only not quite as advanced. That's why Dr. Rush was so excited – we could probably understand it much easier."

"Only it was on the planet and not here on Destiny," Lt. James said firmly.

This last bit of news troubled Johansen. "They must have a ship that they're trying to repair."

Johansen left to consult Franklin and Caine on the weapon systems of Destiny just in case they might need to use them.

* * *

Ramadus looked over his latest prize. He wasn't familiar with humanoids and didn't know how to proceed at first. This was new territory as he ordered her to undress. After dropping her last piece of clothing on the floor, Kinta walked up to the King and ran her finger down the length of his mechanical arm. She wanted to read his mind but was having difficulty which made her wonder if his brain was somehow mechanized as well. She pretty much decided that there was little feeling in his mechanical parts and turned her attention to his biological torso. Relying on visual que's only, she let her fingers slide down the V neck opening of his robe and then further down to his waistline revealing his bare chest. Watching closely for any signs of rejection, she untied the sash which held his robe close and let it fall open revealing a more familiar sight – his prehensile appendage which protruded out. She knew what to do from there.

The King wasn't much on romantics so the encounter was brief as she noticed Tephor watching from behind some drapes no doubt to come to his King's aid should it be needed. She put on an additional display, just for Tephor's benefit, without letting on that she knew he was there.

Tephor had one mechanical arm but the rest of him appeared to be completely biological. He seemed to be of the same race as Ramadus which she suspected was somewhat aquatic by the still visible suction cups on the inside of Tephor's arm. Kinta couldn't help but wonder if they were on his legs as well as she already discovered they appeared on Ramadus' movable appendage.

This race might look different, but they still had the same power struggles, lust and even jealousy as she would soon discover. Ramadus brought her some clothing to change into.

The outfit consisted of two pieces – a top and bottom skirt connected by cords which helped to keep the skirt from sliding too low. Kinta looked at the red silky material when the King ordered some slave women to help dress her. She stood still as they placed the short top around her breasts and cinched it in front then pulled the four cords down to attach to the brass ring which the skirt was attached to and which hung low around her waist. From this same brass ring dangled several glass beads for decoration. Sandals completed the ensemble as she was then led back to the control center where the console was located.

Everyone's eyes turned as Kinta entered the room in her new attire. Even Tephor seemed to notice the confidence she exerted as she walked and how her bodily tattoos were complimented by the outfit. This was not someone who had given up anything to save her friends but rather someone who had gained something instead. Calum smiled at the display upon seeing the reaction of both his and Young's men. Kinta was definitely using what the Gods had given her.

Tephor pointed to the console, "Get to work."

She smiled as she knelt down beside Rush and peered into the guts of the machine. "So what have you found out so far?"

Almost mesmerized, Rush had to shake off his reaction before answering her. "Um, it's pretty old and hasn't been maintained. I found several broken pieces and it looks like several circuits arced and burned out." He pointed to several of the items in question.

Kinta gently placed her hand on his arm as she telepathically told him to stall wherever he could. She needed more time to figure a way out of there. He understood. She removed one of the broken pieces and addressed Tephor. "This piece is broken – we need a new one or a way to make a replacement."

He looked over the two pieces as Kinta showed him how it as suppose to look like. He took the pieces from her and left. Several minutes later, he returned. "Do you know how to make these?" He held up the parts.

"Yes, if I have the right equipment." She explained in return.

Tephor motioned for her to follow as he led her to the next room where the tools were kept that she'd need. Kinta quickly looked everything over to get a feel for what was there then took the pieces from him and began cutting a new part from the metal at her disposal. He watched her closely as she used the cutter effortlessly to cut out the design she needed with the necessary bolting pattern. Once she was finished, a quick dunk into the nearby water bin cooled the metal so she could touch it. Kinta returned to the console room and installed the new piece. This procedure would be repeated many more times before the repairs could be completed.

Finally, Dr. Rush and Kinta were placed in the cage that was adjacent to where the other's were held for the night.

Young was the first to speak as he addressed Kinta with his long awaited question, "What exactly did you have to do to save us?" He had a gut-wrenching feeling he already knew the answer but hoped he was wrong.

Kinta was surprised he asked as most things of this nature were left unsaid.

"I did what was necessary." She replied firmly knowing full well he knew exactly what had taken place. After checking that the guards were out of hearing range, Kinta elaborated, "I negotiated your safety in exchange for repairing the console."

"Yeah right." Young sarcastically replied as he let his arms rest on the bars. "I don't need you doing any favors to keep me alive."

"On the contrary, you do. He was fully prepared to kill you and Calum as an example to the rest." She explained. "If you want to kill yourself, fine. But leave my people out of it."

Kinta could clearly see that he was irritated as she smiled seductively and strolled over to the barred wall that separated both their cells. She ran her fingers through Young's hair as she tousled his dark locks around. "Sex is a tool and I use it well. I got to see much more of this facility, gained an insight into the man who is holding us along with his top general, and devised a perfect plan to get us out of here. Don't judge me by your Earth standards, because I don't fit into them." Now it was her irritation that showed as she suddenly slapped him hard across the face. "And that was for calling me retarded when they put me in that chair!"

Colonel Young was caught totally off guard by the slap but was further shocked when afterward she caressed her hand down the side of his face and leaned in closer as though to kiss him. Young wasn't sure what she was doing and pulled back, straightening up in the process. "What!" He started to say.

Kinta gave a playful laugh. "I just read your mind along with everyone else who was 'distracted' by my performance. If you had been the King, just imagine the amount of information I could have access to."

Young had never seen this side of Kinta before but realized she could be quite the formidable opponent as he listened to her expand on her idea.

"Ramadus relishes the idea that I'd prostitute myself to him in exchange for your lives." She gave a little scoff, "I do not sell myself! I used his lust against him and now know all his weaknesses and how to exploit them to our advantage." She turned around and sat on the floor as she leaned back against the bars satisfied she had made her point.

"I also used him to heal myself more." Just like when she had taken advantage of the men tied onto the alter on Caelur, Kinta had been successful in doing with Ramadus. She now prepared for sleep hoping that it also would mimic Caelur and she would have a vision about Ramadus and their future. Everything was falling into place just fine.

"Heal yourself?" Young asked slowly. "What do you mean?" He thought Kinta was already able to heal herself since she was an Ancient. The fact that she needed help, troubled him.

In a tired voice, Kinta closed her eyes and began to explain. "Usually I can heal myself in time . . . but the chair did more damage than I could handle. Ramadus' people were successful in healing me most of the way, but I wasn't 100% and I just wanted more." Kinta had never told anyone about this ability and knew Calum would realize it was she who had healed the men on the alter if she explained further but for some reason, she wanted Calum to know the truth as she wearily confessed the rest. "Do you know how much energy is exerted when I heal someone who's near death? It's a lot. But when a man climaxes, I can absorb some of it back to renew myself." She started to fade off to sleep before she could finish the sentence. "I don't know how . . ."

* * *

In the early morning hours, Kinta awoke to the sensation that she was being watched. Although she never opened her eyes, she probed the area with her mind and realized Tephor was there. He was the other piece to her puzzle and was totally unaware that he too was being seduced by her charms. Just like a spider's web, he was being drawn in until he was snared at which time it would be too late to escape.

Kinta realized Young was awake as well and feared he might ruin her immediate plans as she telepathically warned him to lay still and not react to anything that was about to take place. This intrigued him as he watched motionless from the side as Kinta rolled onto her back and gave a little moan of pleasure as she stretched her body out. The windows in the cells allowed the moonlight to shine in and illuminate her body as she drew one leg up over the other and twist her hips to the side allowing the fabric to fall away from her upper thigh and reveal the back of her hip. She murmured lightly in her sleep, "Oh yes, right there. That's where I want it. Mmmm."

Young couldn't believe it – she was purposely seducing Tephor and doing an excellent job of it.

Tephor remembered those very same words were spoken by her when she had her interlude with the King. He quickly became aware that she was dreaming about the exchange and enjoying the memories yet again. He could no longer watch silently as his desires pushed him to take action. He quietly opened the door to her cell and caressed her bare hip with the back of his biological hand. He watched intently as she yet again let a moan of pleasure escape her lips as her leg quivered under his touch. She awoke only to have him motion for her to stay silent and follow him. Kinta did as she was instructed as he re-locked the cell behind them and led her to his own quarters. She would spend the rest of the night engrossed in his erotic fantasy before being returned to the cell in the morning.

No one, except Young, was yet awake when she returned as he forcibly grabbed her arm wanting an explanation. With Tephor watching, Kinta grabbed the hair on the back of Young's head and pulled him vigorously to the bars where she passionately kissed him and plunged her tongue into his mouth. He seemed to melt under her power as he gave no resistance and let her.

After Tephor had left, Young spoke up, "So what was the purpose of that?" His annoyance was evident.

Kinta coolly replied, "I'm going to play two very powerful men against each other and let them destroy themselves. I needed him to know that I could control you so he would not think you a threat and destroy you as well." She sighed deeply as she thought through her plan. "We are going to escape while they're distracted."

* * *

Camile Wray was allowed her proverbial one phone call to Earth in order to report her situation to IOA Rep. Dale Strom.

"Everything has changed for the worst," she began. Strom became alarmed when Wray explained further. "Rush and most of the scientists are gone along with Colonel Young and Kinta."

"What happened?" He sternly asked. Wray could see the displeasure on his face.

"Captured on a planet and left behind. Lt. Tamara Johansen is now in charge." She looked away and didn't want to tell him the rest.

But Strom knew Wray had seniority. "Why aren't you in charge?"

She knew it was no use as she came clean. "I'm in the Brigg under constant guard." Still unable to look Strom in the eye, she elaborated. "I talked Rush into using the chair on Kinta since she's an ancient. But it didn't work. Johansen traded her comatose body for several hostages instead."

Strom stroked his chin as he listened to her. "That is most unfortunate. Who is working on unlocking the ship?"

"Dr. Caine and Eli Wallace."

Strom had little confidence that either man would succeed. "I don't think I can be of any further help to you." He closed his notepad as he finished, "I have no choice but to suggest the funding be cut and the mission scrubbed."

"What?! What about us?" Wray's voice intensified with Strom's revelation. "We're still stranded there."

"As I said, that is most unfortunate." Strom stood and called for the escort to return her to the base as Wray starred in disbelief – they were being abandoned.

* * *

A vivacious young lady watched from the corridor as King Ramadus checked on the scientist's progress.

"_Father, what are you going to do with the others?"_ She motioned to the men in the cages as she slowly entered the room.

"_Ah, my dear Rosella."_ The King turned his full attention to his daughter. _"I haven't decided yet. Why?"_

She flashed her child-like smile which always melted her father's heart. _"Can I play with them first?"_

"_Child, these men are dangerous. I wouldn't want you to get hurt."_ King Ramadus knew his little girl had blossomed into an attractive young lady who would someday rule in his place but he had no plans of stepping down anytime soon and Rosella knew it.

"_I'll be careful. I promise." _She kissed her father on the cheek then quietly left to do as she pleased. Being a princess allowed her great freedom to do whatever she liked. Although she was promised to the soft-spoken Jenstopulous, Rosella knew she would have to give up some of her freedoms once she married. She was not against the marriage since she knew her will was stronger and would prevail in most decisions. She simply enjoyed her freedom fully until that time and partook in whatever behavior she liked.

After instructing two guards of what she wanted, Rosella waited patiently until they notified her that everything was ready. With a wave of her hand to dismiss them, she entered a secluded room where Matthew Scott was now bound to a frame where she could partake in any fantasy she chose. Wires were attached to his head and she could implant any type of situation she desired and watch the results. Rosella removed his garment and let it fall to the floor as she approached the apprehensive Scott. He knew exactly what she had on her mind when a smile came over her face.

Later, a disheveled Lt. Scott was returned to the cell containing the rest of his group when Colonel Young approached him.

"What happened?"

Young feared that they might be questioned or even tortured to find out more about the ship and personnel left behind.

Scott blushed as he tried to dodge the question. "Nothing happened."

But Young could see right through him as he put his hand on Scott's shoulder and led him to the corner of the cell where he again whispered his question. "What happened."

Although he was reluctant, Scott complied with his commanding officer's questioning. "This girl had her way with me . . . I think."

Young was taken aback by Scott's revelations. "What?"

"I was tied down and this girl had me wired up to the machine." Scott's frustration began to show. "She didn't say a word, she just . . . you know."

As an afterthought, he added, "They're a little different from us. She had small suction cups on the inside of her legs like an octopus would have and I think this race may have had tentacles at one time. She had a few smaller nubs that looked like they may have been longer at one time." He gave a little shudder. "It was just weird. I felt like I was being done by a squid."

Young was beginning to think the entire race was oversexed as he watched the antics of Kinta and now heard of Lt. Scott's encounter.

* * *

Kinta got little rest before Ramadus summoned her. He had some needs of his own which he wanted satisfied. When she was later returned, the bruise on her cheek was quite pronounced as everyone looked on. Kinta ignored their stares and began work on the console. As Tephor walked past her, she discreetly let her hand brush against his and their eyes met.

Dr. Rush tossed another broken part on the table as he wiped his hands clean with a rag. "I'll go cut out a new one."

"I'll do it." Kinta offered as she picked up the pieces and walked into the next room with Tephor close behind. Rush watched them both and didn't object.

Although the conversation could only be heard in pieces, everyone listened as Tephor voiced his objections to her treatment. Kinta stroked her fingers inside his robe, which quieted him down, then leaned in closer and kissed his neck. He could feel tingles throughout his body as she continued to kiss his chest while untying his robe. As his clothing fell to the floor, Tephor could no longer restrain himself and made passionate love to her while everyone listened in the next room. She seemed to know everything he wanted and always left him satisfied. His moans of pleasure resonated down the hallway as a testament to her ability.

Colonel Young strolled over to Calum and sat down next to him. In a low voice, he whispered his concerns, "Do you really think she can pull this off?"

Calum shrugged his shoulders, "I have seen wars started for such a woman although I never envisioned Kinta playing that role."

Gobhan overheard their conversation and added his own two cents, "I have. She used me to get exiled from the village so she could protect the men on the alter. People still think I'm her father." He shook his head in disgust at her ruse. "She can do it."

After their lovemaking was complete, Kinta voiced her own concerns to Tephor as he re-dressed himself. "Tephor, I haven't told the King yet but the power supply is shorted out. None of our repairs will make any difference until you get a new one." He was visibly angered by the news until Kinta added, "We visited a planet which would have a new one but it is ruled by a King Nepator and I'm sure he won't give up one willingly."

Tephor knew of Nepator and of his well reinforced fortress. "No one can win going up against him."

Kinta brushed his arm lovingly. " I have several bombs placed around his fortress which I never detonated. All I have to do is build a detonator to get the right frequency and I can explode the bombs from here. We would just need to dial his planet for the signal to get through."

Her suggestion certainly caught his attention but then dimmed, "The King would never attack Nestorius. We have a truce with them."

"Perhaps it is time for a new King." Kinta slowly remarked as a smile came over her face. "Truces are repeatedly broken as it suits the stronger party."

Tephor knew exactly what she meant but he had been drilled repeatedly throughout his life that the King is the sovereign and rules through the royal blood line. "I can't kill my King." He shook his head nervously, "I just can't. He rules by birth."

Kinta could clearly see that he was right. Tephor could never kill his King. "I can do it," She remarked suddenly. "I just need someone to take care of the guards so I don't get killed afterward. Then you can rule in his place." She snuggled up close to him. "You'd make a better King anyway."

Tephor knew they had spent too much time apart from the others which might draw unfavorable attention their way. "Let me think about it." He returned to the console room while Kinta finished cutting the makeshift part.

Kinta knew the hook was set – Tephor couldn't resist the thirst for power and this was the ultimate prize. When she returned to the console room she telepathically informed the team of her progress. Everything was going as planned.

* * *

Lt. Johansen returned to Earth to report what had happened and filled General O'Neill in on their negotiations which returned several crewmembers to the ship. She also let him know about Camile Wray and that she was currently being held in a makeshift Brigg.

"This is just great," O'Neill grumbled. He had already been put on notice that funding might be cut due to the unfortunate circumstances.

Seeing his frustration, Johansen added, "There is still a chance that the team can escape and catch up to us. They've done it before."

"Yeah, I know." He let out a deep breath before continuing. "Listen, there is talk about scraping the program as a loss."

Johansen was startled by his revelation.

"Stargate Command would keep the stones working so you won't be totally cut off but you'll basically be on your own." O'Neill informed her.

"No disrespect sir, but we are already on our own. The only difference will be that we don't speak as often." She was slightly irked that he believed they were being helped more at the present time. "Is there nothing you can do on your end? I thought we had all these scientists who could figure out a solution." She grasped for names, "What about Dr. McKay or Colonel Carter? Can we get them working on getting us home?"

O'Neill shook his head, "No. They're on other projects and unavailable."

Johansen found it hard to believe that they were being dismissed so easily as a lost cause. "Whatever happened to leave no one behind?" O'Neill picked up on her hint of anger.

"We're trying!" He forced himself to stay calm. "Really." He knew things were not turning out like they expected. "It's just going to take time. Look, if Kinta makes it back, she's your best bet. Get her to give us the location of her lab and we'll send help right away."

O'Neill knew his answer was lame. "That's all I can offer you right now – things may change again once the rest of the crew returns but for right now, sit tight and do whatever you can on your end."

Johansen knew he was right. Things would change once the team returned – right now everything seemed to depend on that happening.

* * *

As the next few days passed, Tephor gave Kinta's suggestion heavy thought. He had always believed he had a chance to marry Rosella, the King's daughter. But the King promised her to Jenstopulous instead who was a very weak-minded person of small statue and little experience in ruling over people. As far as Tephor was concerned, this was a huge mistake which would make them look weak. All he had to do to change things was to look the other way as Kinta killed the King then take control in his place. If he were to then marry Rosella, it would solidify his place on the throne and he could keep Kinta as his mistress. He saw no other path to take – it had to be done.

Kinta, likewise, knew time was running out as their repairs were coming to a close. It was the time to act and she was hopeful when Tephor visited her that night. He had stopped seeing her, after she had made her suggestion, causing everyone to worry that the plan was going awry.

After leading Kinta to his quarters, Tephor passionately kissed her while he fought with the clasps holding her dress on. After releasing them, he tore her clothing from her body and ran his tongue across her stomach as she in turn untied his robe and let it fall to the floor. Their love making was intense as both elicited moans of pleasure until they finally collapsed in each other's arms exhausted.

After they both had caught their breath, Tephor was the first to speak. "I have been thinking about your plan. How soon can you build the detonators?"

Kinta playfully caressed his chest as she smiled, "They're already built and ready to be used."

Tephor realized she had anticipated his move and was pleased. "The next time the King calls you to his bed, I want you to act. I will have the guards under my control."

"Very well, my King." Kinta kissed his chest as she tried out his new title.

"One thing though – I want the princess left alone so take no action toward her." Kinta could hear the seriousness in his voice and knew she must obey.

"Of course my King. I will not lay a finger on her and will leave her for you to take care of." She suspected that just like when Queen Penarddum had arranged her daughter to marry Calum to solidify her place on the throne, Tephor had plans to do the same. "Do you wish to engage King Nepator immediately afterward?"

"Yes." Tephor began to envision everything taking place in his head as he planned his attack of the fortress.

He didn't have to wait long. The next day, King Ramadus summoned Kinta for their usual rendezvous unaware of how little time he had left. Kinta couldn't decide whether to act before their lovemaking began or after. She ultimately decided to wait upon sensing Tephor watching from the sidelines hidden behind some veils of cloth. Kinta put on a performance just for him as she and the King engaged in sex. She wanted Tephor jealous and knew just how to elicit such an emotion as she screamed with pleasure begging the King no more, it was just too much pleasure for her to handle. This only spurred the King onward.

They both were fatigued after they finished and laid on the bed catching their breaths. Her actions were quick as she suddenly snapped his neck. It was done.

Tephor exited his hiding place and walked over to inspect the results as Kinta feigned surprise in seeing him. "How long have you been there?" She began to get dressed when Tephor stopped her. The performance had aroused him as well and his needs now needed her attention as he pulled her down onto the bed and passionately partook of her next to the King's lifeless body. Even Kinta thought that cold as she performed again for him and satisfied his desires.

Princess Rosella was immediately taken into custody as Tephor rallied his troops for battle. Things would happen quickly now. On his orders, the gate was dialed to the planet Nestorius and Tephor's first wave of soldiers were sent through.

"Detonate your bombs now!" He ordered Kinta who quickly complied. Upon receiving confirmation that the palace walls had been compromised, Tephor sent the rest of his troops through and accompanied them to what should be an easy victory.

Unbeknost to Tephor, Kinta activated one last bomb, before the gate closed. The timer began counting on the hidden explosives at the base of the Stargate on Nestorius where Kinta had placed them months earlier. They had been placed there to destroy or at least disable the Stargate from functioning so King Nepator could not follow them. Now they would trap Tephor and his troops there instead.

Kinta easily overtook the two guards who were escorting her back to Tephor's quarters and gained her freedom. This enabled her to return to the console room and release the rest of the team from their cells.

"We have to hurry. Tephor is on Nestorius and Princess Rosella is in his custody here." She grabbed her original clothes and began changing into them as she explained the situation.

Young quickly asked her, "Can we make it to the gate?"

"We can if I take the Princess hostage and use her as a shield," Kinta replied confidently. "Tephor wants her protected so he can marry her and solidify his place on the throne."

With everyone freed, the group proceeded carefully to the room where the Princess was being held. Calum and Trevor immediately disabled the guards while the rest freed the Princess.

Princess Rosella knew who they were and demanded, "What is happening? Where is my father?"

Kinta explained as they hurried her down the hallway. "Your father is dead and Tephor is conquering Nestorius as we speak."

This surprised her. "Where are you taking me?" She demanded angrily of them.

"To the Stargate – no further. We merely need safe passage to get there then you will be released. I promise." Colonel Young informed her.

Everyone hoped their luck would hold out and they could reach the Stargate without incident. So far, they found no resistance since their escape had not yet been discovered. Once outside, they cautiously made their way through the forest to the gate.

A slight growl was heard as they turned to see a fierce dinosaur lunge from the underbrush only this time, the Caelurians dispatched it with little noise using nothing more than their swords. Calum's men quickly prepared the animal for transport by binding it's feet to a pole which they carried across their shoulders. It took several men, but the meat would be valuable to them.

As they reached the gate, guards could be seen guarding it which Kinta was relieved to see. "Good, we can leave you with them and they will protect you from the animals Princess."

This escape was going much better than the last one as the team emerged from the trees with the Princess clearly visible. _"Don't shoot!"_ Princess Rosella shouted to them in their native tongue. The soldiers lowered their weapons as Lt. Scott and Msgt. Greer ran up to the console and began dialing the address to the ship.

"I hope you will keep your word and release me as you promised."

"I will Princess." Kinta assured her. With the active gate open, the men began to go through. As an afterthought, Kinta turned to the Princess, "Please don't be too hard on Tephor, he did all of this for you to spare you from being married to someone else."

Rosella's surprise was visible as her lower jaw dropped slightly in astonishment.

"Please tell him he will be in my thoughts." Kinta whispered so Young couldn't hear.

Colonel Young was the last to go through and was holding his arm in the event horizon waiting for Kinta. "C'mon!" He shouted.

With a little bow of respect, Kinta turned and joined him as they both went through the gate together and emerged on Destiny.

After the fan fare was over on their safe return, Colonel Young strolled over to Kinta. "Why did you tell the Princess that Tephor did what he did for her?"

Kinta smiled. "I'm a romantic and should Tephor find his way back to Ramadus, which I believe he will, I wanted her to go easy on him."

Young raised his eyebrows upon hearing her concern for Tephor. "It sounds like you liked him?"

"I did." Kinta confessed. "He wasn't much to look at, but he was a fantastic lover and an expert warrior." She smiled slightly as they began walking down the hallway. "I might actually miss him."

Young stopped and watched Kinta walk away before he proceeded down a different hallway to his own quarters. Women, he just couldn't figure them out.

* * *

**REVIEWS GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!**


	3. Chapter 3: Message In A Bottle

**SGU: Message In A Bottle**

* * *

**Title: **SGU: - Message In A Bottle

**Author:** Celtic Lady

**Rating: **M (age 16+) adult, sexual situations.

**Summary: **With Telford on the way, Kinta must make some difficult decisions.

**Author's Note:** I sometimes will make a music recommendation that can be played while you read a particular section. Just Google the song I recommend and you should be able to find it online to listen to.

Since the first season is only half finished as I write this story, I'll be making some assumptions that I'm sure will be totally different from what the show will have later so this is kind of an alternate universe version. I'm writing these in a particular order so you need to read "SGU: The Adventure Begins" first.

**Disclaimer: **I don't own the characters so please don't sue. If the real owners want to use anything from my story (yeah, wishful thinking), go ahead, you can have it for free. :-)

* * *

**Chapter 3: Message In A Bottle**

Kinta settled back into her routine but things were not the same. She found it hard to trust the Tau'ri after they had turned on her and forced her into the chair. She wasn't even sure she could trust Colonel Young although he hadn't done anything to warrant her mistrust of him.

What alarmed her the most was the realization that her vision of Dr. Rush and herself as lovers was only a fake memory placed in her mind by King Ramadus' scientists in an attempt to get them to work together. Kinta had no idea the vision wasn't real when she set out on her great adventure to save her beloved Icarus and return them all home. She was glad she came all the same since she found survivors from her planet, but disappointment in Dr. Rush weighed heavy on her. They seemed so happy together that she longed for his companionship and fell in love with the idea of being with him. But it was all a lie and would never happen in real life.

In a way she was glad she had killed Ramadus for the cruel joke he had unwittingly played on her. But it wouldn't remove the heartbreak she still felt for a man who had no interest in her whatsoever.

Unable to concentrate on her repairs, Kinta sought out Calum for his advice. She rang the doorbell to his quarters and was glad to find him alone. "Can I speak to you about something?

Calum motioned her inside and they both sat down.

"I'm starting to question whether my destiny was to save the Tau'ri or if it was really you and your men that I was suppose to save." It was evident that this question was weighing heavy on her mind.

Calum leaned forward as he calmly inquired, "What exactly did you see in your vision?"

"I saw Icarus . . . I mean Dr. Rush. His life was playing out before me and I could see all the pain he had experienced. Then I saw the fake memory of him and me together and we were really happy. I couldn't tell in the vision that it was an implanted memory – it seemed real." She paused as she tried to find the right words to describe the situation. "I just wanted to come and save him because I thought there was a future for him and me but now I'm not so sure there is any reason for us to stay here. I have compiled a list of Stargates that would take us home. It would take awhile but we could make it."

"I see." Calum pressed his two index fingers to his lips as he thought for a moment. "And what did you see when we fought and you collapsed?"

Kinta had almost forgotten about that. "I saw the Tau'ri on this ship and I was here too. We were all lost and I found a way home."

"Did you ever see us in your visions?" Calum asked.

"Well, no."

Calum shook his head, "Then I do not think you were brought here to save us. It seems that your visions focused on Dr. Rush and the Tau'ri regardless of the false memory. I think your destiny lies with them."

This wasn't exactly what Kinta wanted to hear. "I'm just so tired of the Tau'ri's ways. I want to go home."

"I know. I too want to go home but right now, there doesn't seem to be much to go home to." Now that they knew the fate of Caelur, Calum wasn't sure there was any reason for them to return there. He was basically relying on Kinta's visions to guide his own decisions.

"What is this gate address they keep speaking of?" Calum knew the Tau'ri wanted it and Kinta had it.

"It's the address to an Ancient laboratory where I made the weapons and the power unit to get here. But I have since had a vision that once the Tau'ri get the address, they send Colonel Telford but don't send an extra power unit to get us back home. Telford takes over and gets us in some kind of battle where this ship is completely destroyed. That is why I haven't given it to them." Kinta explained.

"Are you sure we are on the ship when it is destroyed?"

"Yes. I mean, I see all the Tau'ri . . . but I don't see us." She realized that they always seemed to be absent from her visions. "I don't know if we are on the ship or not."

"I don't know what to tell you Kinta. It appears that we are not part of your destiny but the Tau'ri are. Perhaps you should be consulting Colonel Young instead."

She didn't like that suggestion at all. "He'll just say give him the address."

Calum smiled. "Perhaps. Or maybe their destiny is to destroy themselves and you are simply the messenger with the means for them to do it." He shrugged his shoulders not knowing what else to tell her.

She hadn't thought of that. "Well thanks anyway." She rose and Calum walked her to the door.

"Let me know what you decide to do. We may want to leave and find another way home," he replied.

Kinta intended to return to work on repairs but found herself walking in the direction of Young's office. When she first arrived, everything was a new adventure but now she had grown tired of their badgering her to hurry and get them home. The experience had become more and more depressing. As she stood outside Young's door, she knew she had a decision to make – talk to him or not. Suddenly, the door opened as Young prepared to leave, apparently the decision had been made for her. "Colonel, do you have a minute?"

"Ah, sure, come on in."

They both took a seat and Kinta repeated the same information she had told Calum and of her uncertainty on how to proceed. She was pleasantly surprised by his answer.

Young could clearly see that the weight of keeping the address a secret was taking it's toll on Kinta. She wasn't sleeping well he discovered from Johansen and was going to speak to her about why. He now seemed to have the answer as he offered his suggestion. "I know we're making this difficult for you and I'm sorry for what it's worth. I think your dedication to avoid having your vision come true is commendable. I've seen several people try to take shortcuts and it's been disastrous so I suggest you relax, get a good nights sleep, and give it a lot of thought. But in the end, we want to have a part in our own destiny so I think the final decision should be up to us – not you. Take the weight off your shoulders and put it on ours."

Kinta paused for a moment before commenting, "You make some good points. I don't have to rush this and since I've shown all of you what happens, you should be able to make up your own mind. I wish I could have another vision and see if things have changed but that's not likely to happen."

She stood to leave. "Thank you for your thoughts on this. It's been very helpful." Colonel Young walked out of his office with her satisfied that she was going to share the address. His finessing had worked.

He decided to use the stones and visit Earth to update O'Neill on his progress while Kinta stopped by the control Center to see what was going on before retiring to her quarters for the evening.

[**Music Recommendation:** I Get Off by Halestorm]

After the day's events, Kinta was bone-tired as she returned to her quarters to go to sleep. What a day. She removed her clothes and laid on the bed naked. Every sensory perception she had seemed heightened as she spread out on her back. She could feel the slightest breeze as the scrubbers recycled fresh air into the room. Kinta closed her eyes – all she wanted to do was sleep and recharge her energy but she actually felt too tired to sleep. The heaviness of her eyelids made it impossible to reopen them nor did she notice the visitor enter or perhaps she just didn't care. On the verge of falling asleep, she was totally relaxed as her body lay exposed unashamed.

The individual stood over her bed gazing at the tattoos that adorned her skin noticing every single detail. A shirt dropped to the floor followed by slacks. The rest of the clothing soon followed. Bending over her, the person gently kissed the inside of Kinta's leg where each exhale of breath drew goose bumps on her skin. Her eyelids never opened as she gasped from the unexpected touch. No word was spoken as fingers gently began to caress her skin tracing the curves and swirls of her inked décor. Seeing no resistance, the seducer, slid onto the bed moving up her body and upping the ante. Kinta could feel the person gently bite at her skin as a tongue brought yet more waves of sensation. A moan escaped Kinta's lips as her hands clutched the blanket beneath her.

Kinta had no desire to open her eyes to see who had brought this wonderful gift to her. She wanted only to enjoy it uninhibited.

Her breathing intensified, as did the lover's. Kinta ran her hands over the individual's body focusing on areas which brought forth the greatest moans of pleasures. She wrapped her legs around theirs and arched her back as their tongue reached her breasts and finally her lips. Kinta inhaled deeply and felt intoxicated by the person's scent.

This lover was quite skilled at seduction and knew how to tease Kinta almost to the point of climax but then pulled back at the last minute leaving her wanting more. As her body relaxed, the process was repeated each time intensifying the pleasure more until there was no going back. Screams of ecstasy matched the rhythm of their bodies as their sensations exploded surpassing anything either one expected or hoped for. If the overwhelming moment seemed to last much longer than normal, it was only due to the power each had over the other's body and their choice to exploit it to the fullest. Holding nothing back, there were no taboos left to be broken.

Kinta let her arms drop to her side and made no further attempt to move them as her mind slipped into a deep and satisfying sleep. Her anonymous lover took one last kiss from her lips before getting dressed, leaving Kinta as she was found.

The next evening Kinta informed Calum of her decision to give the Tau'ri the gate address of her lab. They knew what would happen if Telford arrived and could make their choices accordingly. Calum and his men then made their plans to leave the ship should Telford take command. Kinta was choosing a different path for herself and only hoped it was a good choice.

* * *

Two months later everyone was packed and waiting in the gate room for the arrival of their replacement team and the power unit which would return them home. The Caelurians were waiting silently to the side watching the events unfold and wondering if Telford would come through the gate although they already knew the answer.

Suddenly the wait was over as the gate came to life and began locking it's chevrons. Everyone's eyes were focused on the Stargate as the last chevron locked and the event horizon swooshed out. Soldiers began marching through and everyone was looking for the soldier with their power unit. That single individual was their salvation and hope to return home. Even Colonel Young was finding the suspense unbearable as he scanned each person coming through the gate carrying equipment and supplies but no power unit.

Finally, Colonel David Telford walked through the gate and it shut down. Everyone's disappointment was quite visible as they all realized they had been lied to. But worst, they now feared that Kinta's vision was coming true just like she had said.

Telford made a direct line to Colonel Young and handed him his orders to retire his command.

"Where's the power unit?" Young asked angrily ignoring the paper that had just been given to him.

Telford smiled, "We used it to get here."

"There was suppose to be a second one to send us home. Where is it?" Young demanded.

"Not this time Colonel. They're going to build two more and send everyone home on the next trip. Until then, I'm in charge."

Young found Telford's cockiness unbearable as he replied, "You bastard!" His fist across Telford's jaw quickly followed his statement as Telford fell backward stunned. Wiping the blood from his face, Telford stood up and ordered his men, "Put him in the Brigg. It looks like he just threw away his career." Everyone could hear the satisfaction in Telford's voice as he gave the order and his men complied.

With all the quarters emptied, Telford and his men selected the best rooms for themselves leaving the former crew to pick from what was left. He wasted no time in establishing his own rules which clashed greatly with the civilian population and Young's men. The Destiny was now under strict military control.

Kinta and her men had hidden a supply of weapons and supplies on a deserted planet they visited just prior to the arrival of Telford in preparation for what they knew was coming. Kinta had made good use of her vision involving Telford and the Caelurian crew. She was going to change the game to her favor.

Once Telford arrived, Kinta continued making repairs as usual and studied him with some well placed Kinos. She needed to understand her latest adversary.

After everyone had turned in for the evening, Kinta quietly made her way to Calum's quarters where Calum and the rest of his men were waiting. "It's time to put the plan into action." Kinta was elated as she explained the next step. "Tomorrow I'll tell Telford we want to leave. That will start everything in motion."

Everyone agreed that they would stick to the plan no matter what. Kinta had seen a way to save one Tau'ri and asked the Caelurians to allow her that which they agreed. Otherwise, they would have left before Telford's arrival. Kinta returned to her quarters and went to bed. The following morning during breakfast, Kinta approached Colonel Telford. "Colonel, my men and I will be leaving the ship when we reach our next stop. I just wanted to let you know."

Some of the other civilians overheard the conversation and joined in, "We want to go with you."

"Yeah, take us with you."

Telford quickly realized that he could have a great exodus from the ship if he allowed everyone to leave with the Caelurians. This wouldn't look good if the next rescue crew arrived and no one was left to rescue. It would definitely undermine his authority. "No one is leaving the ship to go anywhere. You're all staying right here."

If looks could kill, Kinta's stare would have knocked him over. "Colonel, let me remind you that I am not part of your crew. I'm not even from your planet. There is no way we're going to stay here and die."

Telford had been hearing of Kinta's vision ever since he arrived and was tired of it. "No one is going to die! We'll discuss this later." He angrily got up and left.

After he was out of hearing range, several of the people walked by and asked Kinta to let them know when she was leaving while some of Telford's men watched quietly. They would later report what they heard to the Colonel. Word spread quickly throughout the ship that the Caelurians were going to venture out on their own and Telford realized he had a full scale mutiny on his hands. When the ship made it's next stop, Telford had a full show of force ready to stop their departure.

"No one is leaving the ship." He announced to the crowd who had gathered in the gate room with their belongings. "I have a small away team who will visit the planet and no one else."

People started showing their anger as they demanded to leave the ship. "You should have brought a second power unit and sent us home! Now we have to find our own way and you can't stop us!"

Telford motioned for his men to take their position in front of the gate. They were clearly fully armed and prepared to use force.

Kinta and the Caelurians realized they were not going to be allowed to leave and felt like prisoners. But rather than argue about it, they quietly left. It was all part of their plan.

After things had quieted down and the away team was gone exploring the planet, the Caelurians relaxed on the observation deck and talked among themselves in their native language. Several people stopped by and asked them what their plan was. Their answer was simple – find a way to get off the ship.

"_Kinta, how are you going to persuade Telford to leave us behind?"_ Aengus inquired curiously.

She shook her head. _"I haven't decided yet but it has to appear like it's Telford's decision and not that we won and got our wish. He's vindictive and it has to come across as punishment."_

Suddenly, her eyes lit up as she got an idea. _"He absolutely hates Colonel Young – maybe it's time I found out why and threw it in his face."_ She jumped up, _"I need to go pay Young a visit."_

She was actually ecstatic as she rushed down the hallway to the makeshift Brigg. Kinta only hoped it was something really good and picked up a Kino from Eli on the way to use in her other plan.

"Hi. Can I visit Colonel Young?" She inquired of the guards standing outside the room. They nodded okay and opened the door for her to enter. Young was surprised to have a visitor and hadn't shaved yet nor buttoned his shirt as he laid back on the bed.

"Kinta, what's up?" He quickly stood and started buttoning his shirt as she turned the Kino on to record.

"Bored yet?" Kinta suspected he wasn't getting many visitors from his appearance.

He smiled. "Kind of." He couldn't help but wonder what the Kino was for.

"And what is this?" Kinta rubbed the back of her fingers across his unshaven face. Actually she was trying to read his mind and touching the person helped.

Young scratched his head as he blushed slightly, "Ah, I just didn't feel like it."

The room was small and contained only a twin size bed and a nightstand so they had no choice but to sit on the bed. Kinta filled him in on her attempt to leave the ship and how Telford refused.

"Abandoning us huh." Young's smile dimmed but Kinta's lit up.

"Actually, I've got something in the works and I need your help."

Young perked up as she began to elaborate.

"Okay, one is already done. I've written some code that will allow Dr. Rush to take control of one of the canons and fire it into the sun when the big battle begins. This will create a solar flare. There is a second program he can then run which will dial the Stargate and we already know that dialing the Stargate during a solar flare sends us back in time. We've checked our calculations and Eli will send a Kino through the gate and back to before I arrive warning everyone of the danger."

She turned to face the Kino. "So you need to record a message to yourself warning you not to do it the second time around along with any other things you want to change."

Young was impressed. He let out a sigh as he thought over what he needed to say. "Okay, don't give the gate address of Kinta's lab to Home World Command. They can't be trusted and Kinta," he pointed to her, "has a vision that if Telford arrives, which he will if we give up the address, he'll get us in a battle and everyone will die. So if you get this Kino, the battle is raging and the end is near."

His mind was racing as he tried to think of what else to say, "Ah, Kinta can be trusted and don't leave Rush behind on a planet no matter how bad you want to." He turned to Kinta, "We need the gate address of the planet where your friends are being held so we can rescue them and of the planet where we are captured so we don't do that again."

Kinta nodded. "I'll get all of that added behind your message."

"Okay, what am I forgetting? He asked her.

Kinta spoke up, "When you find the chair it's not configured right and Franklin and myself get hurt so you need to immediately remove the contact heads or disable the machine. You're temporarily relieved of command so you need to hide the heads somewhere safe where no one will find them and not in your quarters."

"Yeah, the chair is really bad and no one should use it. Also, don't shoot our guns on the planets because they announce our presence to our enemies – use Kinta's weapons instead or have Calum's men take care of the danger." He paused as he tried to think of the misfortunes they wanted to avoid. "The water filtration system has a problem and the filters aren't working right. Everyone gets sick so you need to fix that immediately. And when the ship runs out of power don't panic – it goes into the sun and recharges itself and everyone is safe on board."

Kinta had an idea, "Don't worry, I'll make a video diary of what has happened to date so you'll know what to expect."

"Good. What else? I'm drawing a blank." Young replied.

Kinta shrugged her shoulders, "The important thing is that you'll heed your warnings. Is there any chance you'll think this video is a fake?"

"No, I don't think so. Seeing me making the warning should be enough."

"Okay then, this should do the trick." Kinta then focused on the primary reason for her visit. "The second thing in the works involves a vision I had where Telford leaves me and my people behind on a planet because we caused too much trouble. This is my own fail safe in case something goes wrong and saves us at least." She hoped Young would open up and tell her what she needed to know. "I need to piss Telford off really bad so I want to know why he hates you so much. I think I can use that to manipulate him. So . . . please tell me why."

Young was hesitant to show his dirty laundry and really didn't want anyone to know. Kinta assured him it was necessary and that she'd keep his confidence if she couldn't use it. He was clearly torn and regretted his actions but knew Kinta needed his help as he complied. "I wish I could have warned myself further back not to do this. I . . . I had an affair with Lt. Johansen who was Telford's fiancé at the time. She left him for me."

Kinta was shocked. "I can definitely use this." She also knew that having this statement on the Kino would show the other Young that he trusted her since this was do doubt his darkest secret.

She gathered up the Kino and thanked him for his help as she gave him a big hug then left to add her own message to Colonel Young's. Once she was back to her quarters, Kinta started recording and began to introduce herself.

"Colonel Young, if my calculations are right you'll be receiving this recording back in time before I arrive so I'd like to introduce myself. I am Kintana, high priestess of Caelur. I have visions of the future and I've been to your Stargate Command and know General O'Neill. I will be arriving through the Stargate to share in your adventure and ultimately rescue you and your crew. I have grown to trust you and consider you my friend. I am going to tell you details of things that has happened so you can avoid them the second time around. Since this will no doubt change our friendship, I wanted you to know some things about me that I shared with you during our most difficult times. I may not be so open next time so this will help make up for it and keep our friendship strong. Your friendship and trust has truly touched me and I cherish it so I hope it won't change."

She smiled as she thought back to their first meeting. "I actually came to save Dr. Rush because I had a vision that he and I become lovers. Well, the vision was a false memory implanted in my head and you can imagine my disappointment at finding out the truth. I fear that my impulse to come here will change since that future and false memory will no longer happen. Therefore, you need to get a message to me asking for my help. My destiny is here and although I won't know you, I don't think I can pass up a plea for help from a stranger so far away. Mention that Calum is alive and you'll definitely get my attention. Dr. Bill Lee and Msgt. Walter Harriman on Earth will know how to reach me through email. Walter periodically dials my planet and sends me emails to see how I'm doing. If there is anything you specifically need, let me know and I'll try to get it. I've got a couple of connections on Earth."

Kinta continued to explain her abilities and draw backs that had come to light as they were needed and her visions of Telford. Finally, she began narrating their adventures and misadventures regarding the two kings, their captures and ultimately their escapes.

"Well, that's about it. I've covered everything. So let the adventure begin!" Kinta smiled happily as she turned the recording off and wrote on the Kino, 'For Col. Young's Eyes Only.' She then carefully carried it down to Eli for safe keeping until the time it would be tossed through the Stargate and land on the planet where Dr. Rush was abandoned. She knew it wouldn't prevent Dr. Rush's capture but since Destiny would have to rescue the Caelurians anyway, Dr. Rush would be saved as well.

* * *

[**Music Recommendation:** Life Is Beautiful by SIXX AM]

That evening, after the away team returned, Kinta enacted the last piece of the puzzle and confronted Telford about their imprisonment against their will. She was particularly belligerent and refused to do anymore repairs or help out in anyway. Everyone in the cafeteria watched the display with the final straw being Kinta's revelation that Col. Telford wasn't even man enough to hold on to his girlfriend, let alone lead a ship load of people. In a full rage, Telford attempted to strike Kinta who managed to dodge each blow yet get in a few good punches of her own. The Caelurians prevented anyone from stopping the fight or assist in anyway.

After Kinta was arrested and placed under guard, she had only to wait until they stopped at the next planet for their freedom to be realized. It was a short wait as hours later the ship dropped out of hyper-drive.

Colonel Telford personally visited Kinta's makeshift cell and told her she and her team would be accompanying him to the planet.

"Why don't you let Colonel Young get some fresh air as well?" She suggested nonchalantly.

"Good idea." Telford responded as he sent a guard to fetch Young. He had no idea he was being played.

The larger than normal group explored and gathered additional plants but little more. When no one was looking, Calum's men passed metal breast plates to Kinta and Young to be placed under their shirts. Young was puzzled but complied.

"Okay, let's move out." Telford ordered.

The ship was dialed and Telford's men proceeded through the gate. Young began to follow when Telford grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "Not you." Telford stood in front of the gate with his arm holding it open as he addressed Young and the Caelurians. "Your services are no longer needed. You'll be staying here."

He couldn't allow them to reach Earth first then return with their own power unit. Everything had to be on his terms only. Before anyone could complain, he swung his weapon around and released a string of bullets at the group knocking them all to the ground. With them believed to be dead, Telford walked through the gate and it shut down.

Aengus immediately shouted out, "I'm hit in the arm!"

Kinta rushed to his aid to heal him as the others removed the breast plates and let them fall to the ground. The rest had only a few cuts and grazes.

"I didn't see that coming." Young confessed while slightly shaken.

Calum immediately dialed the planet where their weapons were stashed and they rushed through the gate. Everything had happened exactly as Kinta saw it in her vision.

Days later, while stopped at another planet, Destiny was confronted by a strange ship and was hailed. "I am Tephor and have come for Kinta. Release her to me immediately."

Telford knew full well that he couldn't do that. "No. She isn't here."

Tephor didn't believe Telford and fired a round in front of Destiny. "I do not believe you. Turn her over to me now."

Telford ended the transmission. "Ready the weapons and fire on my command."

Lt. Scott did as he was ordered.

"Fire!"

Blasts were exchanged back and forth while Dr. Rush entered the password given to him by Kinta. With control of one canon, he fired several blasts into the nearby sun then ran the program Kinta had prepared. The Stargate came to life while Eli watched the chevrons lock into place. Once the wormhole was established, he tossed the Kino through and the gate shut down. "Godspeed." He whispered to himself.

Tephor continued to fire on Destiny and was able to damage the engines so the ship could no longer move. He again hailed the ship but got no answer. Angered by their actions, Tephor gave the order to destroy the ship.

The blasts were horrendous as Colonel Telford finally hailed them back to surrender. "Okay. We surrender."

"Where is Kinta?" Tephor demanded, "Show her to me."

Tephor knew full well he couldn't and reiterated, "She's not here. They left the ship and ventured out on their own."

"That is most unfortunate. For she is the only one who can save you now." Tephor ended the transmission and began the barrage of blasts again until the ship could take no more and exploded into a fiery ball.

* * *

Dr. Rush awoke to find darkness around him as he stood up cautiously, still dizzy from the head-bang he received from Colonel Young. The realization hit him quickly, Young had left him there to die. He rubbed his forehead and felt dry blood – he'd been there awhile. Rush could only envision the satisfaction that Young must be having right now thinking that he'd rid himself of the doctor. But he wasn't worried, Rush had a backup plan. He remembered several gate addresses where he could jump ahead of them and wait to rejoin the ship. . .

**THE END**

* * *

**REVIEWS GREATLY APPRECIATED!!!**

The new episodes on SyFy will be starting this week and should pick up where I left off in my story. Enjoy!


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